RACING:  The James Bowe team insist they will wait until as late as possible before making a call on whether their star mare Solerina will run in Sunday's AIG Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Solerina has an alternative option in Saturday's Bank Of Ireland Hurdle at Naas over a two-and-a-half-mile trip that is widely regarded as being more in her favour.

There was bad news for the Bowes from Leopardstown yesterday with a ground report of "yielding" for the hurdles course that doesn't look like getting any softer before Sunday's Grade One highlight.

The surface had been "yielding to soft" two days ago. However, the permit holder's son, Michael, said: "The privilege of paying that bit extra means we can wait until the last minute and that's what we will do."

Solerina is a 7 to 2 third favourite with Paddy Power for the AIG as Spirit Leader and Davenport Milenium compete for the position at the top of the ante-post market.

A cold snap is being forecast for the weekend but the Leopardstown racing manager Tom Burke said yesterday: "At the moment I am not overly-concerned. But it will get colder. Before then there are only bits of rain forecast for the next couple of days."

The ground on the chase course at Leopardstown is "yielding to soft".