RACING NEWS: THE PROSPECTS of racing going ahead in Ireland this weekend will largely depend on what faces course inspectors this morning, with Navan holding a 7.30am examination.

The steeplechase course was the primary cause for concern for the Navan authorities yesterday, although the Met Office did provide some encouragement yesterday evening.

“They are telling us it won’t be quite as cold overnight as previously thought, so we would be confident about the hurdles course,” Navan manager Darren Lawlor said.

“The chase track was not raceable today, but we have pushed the chases back to give them more time and I would still be optimistic about them being okay,” he added.

The ground will also be monitored today ahead of tomorrow’s scheduled fixture at Thurles, although prospects of at least some racing going ahead at the Tipperary track appeared yesterday to be encouraging.

“I wouldn’t anticipate too many problems with the hurdles course which was raceable all day today,” said the Thurles manager Pierce Molony. “The temperatures on Saturday and Sunday are also not forecast to be as low as they were today.

“We will monitor it throughout Saturday to see if an inspection needs to be called.”

The chase track at Thurles was unraceable due to frost yesterday, however, and the two races over fences have also been pushed back to the end of the programme to give them every chance of going ahead.

Thurles stages the most valuable race of the weekend in the six-runner Listed Horse and Jockey Hotel Hurdle, where Mourad looks to be a ratings standout.

His trainer, Willie Mullins, certainly seemed to think so yesterday, and said: “Of all the runners over the weekend Mourad is the one I’m most looking forward to. He looks thrown in at the weights, so I’m hopeful he’ll be hard to beat.”

The Mullins team, however, have been in slightly in-and-out form recently with a well-publicised virus taking its toll on some of the horses.

Mourad has plenty in hand on figures, but Chicago Grey has course and distance winning form from last month, ran well in a better race at Navan last weekend and represents trainer Gordon Elliott, whose horses are running well.

Another in-form trainer is Edward O’Grady, and the Limerick winner Rigour Back Bob should be hard to beat in the two-mile novice hurdle, while McAlpine could be up to defying topweight in the Molony Cup.

Colm Murphy hopes to run two in the Beginners Chase at Navan, with Matt O’Connor on board Kimberlite King. This one has run fourth on both his previous visits to the Meath course behind potential top-notchers, Sports Line and Osana.

That experience should hold him in good stead against today’s opposition, and Murphy should have a good line to the big danger, An Cathaoir Mor, through Zaarito.

Noel Meade revealed his high opinion of Thegreatjohnbrowne after the five-year-old won his bumper at Naas earlier this month, and he should be hard to beat in the second maiden hurdle.