Gold Cup favourite Dorans Pride was yesterday confirmed on course to take on the 1996 winner Imperial Call at Clonmel on Thursday. Michael Hourigan switched Dorans Pride, who made a winning reappearance over three miles at Listowel in September, to the two-and-a-half-mile Morris Oil Chase after the abandonment of last month's Munster National.
The trainer said yesterday: "He is very well in himself and on course for the race at Clonmel. Richard Dunwoody will ride him.
"The step down to two and a half miles doesn't worry me. We are up against Imperial Call - but only one of us can win!"
Imperial Call will be having his first run since he was pulled up when bidding to repeat his 1996 victory in the Gold Cup at Cheltenham in March.
He failed to win a race last season, falling on his reappearance at Punchestown before finishing a well-beaten third behind Danoli in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown.
Trainer Fergie Sutherland's wife Ann confirmed Imperial Call will be in the line-up on Thursday. "He is on course for the race and Conor O'Dwyer will ride him," she said.
"Nothing went right last season but he is in fine form now and we hope he is back to his best."
Another leading chaser, Danoli, was reported yesterday by his trainer, Tom Foley, to be "sounder than ever" and the nineyear-old is firmly on course for a return to action at Christmas time.
But Foley admitted he is worried that the gelding's enforced spell on the sidelines will count against him.
Danoli, winner of the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown last season, has not run since he aggravated an old injury when falling in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last March.
"He's back working and we are very happy with him," Foley said. "He's riding out fine and he's sounder than ever.
"But he won't run until Christmas as that's what the vets say - you've got to go by what they say as they're the bosses.
"I am worried about his first race as he will be taking on all the top horses when they've had three or four runs and he is running for the first time.
"We are looking at the £50,000 three-mile conditions race at the Leopardstown Christmas meeting for him.
"Then it will be the Irish Gold Cup and English Gold Cup - I'd rather he won the second of those this year!
"I hope there is a bit of cut in the ground at Cheltenham this time - but I think if the ground is the same as last year they will water this time.
"Tommy Treacy will ride him again this season. He knows Danoli well and we can always get him."
Meanwhile, Kieren Fallon joined an elite club when he landed his 200th winner of the year on Filial at Wolverhampton on Saturday night.
The Clareman is only the sixth different jockey to reach the landmark in Britain in the 20th century. Sir Gordon Richards rode over 200 winners in a season 12 times between 1933 and 1952 - an amazing achievement in the days before motorways and aircraft allowed jockeys to ride at two meetings in a day.
It was another 38 years before Pat Eddery reached 200 in 1990 but the advent of all-weather racing has enabled four more men to emulate the feat since.
Michael Roberts did it in 1992 and Frankie Dettori in 1994 and 1995. Jason Weaver also rode 200 winners in 1994 - the only time it has been done by a rider who failed to win the championship.
