IRISH RACING: TONY MARTIN is keeping his fingers crossed Psycho can show his true colours in the Beamish Stout Phil Sweeney Memorial Chase at Thurles today.

Having impressed on his penultimate start at Naas, the nine-year-old was a leading contender for the Vote AP Gold Cup at Cheltenham last month.

But after making an error early on, his jumping fell to pieces and he was eventually pulled up.

“He was unlucky at Cheltenham as he landed on top of the fifth fence and then just lost all confidence in his jumping,” said Martin.

“We’ll just have to see how he gets on, but we popped him over a few fences the other day and he seemed to school well.

“Hopefully he’s back on song. It’s only a small field tomorrow so we can pop round and see what happens.”

Psycho faces just three rivals in the Grade Three contest, with Adrian Maguire’s Let Yourself Go joining him on 11st 10lb.

The Willie Mullins-trained Quiscover Fontaine and Paul Nolan’s Clan Tara complete the field.

Séamus Roche plans to switch the attentions of Jim Will Fix It back to hurdling after his Grade Two success at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting.

Last summer the five-year-old made little impression over timber but Roche took the opportunity to return him to amateur riders’ bumpers and he obliged at Clonmel before following up with a narrow defeat of Mississippi River in the paddypower.com Future Champions (Pro/Am) Flat Race.

Roche said: “The plan at the moment is to go to Naas for a maiden hurdle, or to Clonmel for a maiden hurdle. If that were to go well, then he would go for a Grade Two at Naas in February.”

He added: “We’re not going to have a rush of blood to the head, but he’s a beautiful jumper and I hope he’s still improving.

“He was short of a piece of work at Leopardstown and I’d have been happy if he was in the first four. I think the balance of the jockey’s 7lb claim made the difference.”

Roche is not a household name as a trainer but he has no plans for expansion at his stables in Hugginstown, Co Kilkenny.

“We’ve only eight in training so we must be one of the smallest but we’re happy with a small team,” he said.

“Obviously we’d take a couple more nice ones but it’s nice to get up in the morning and enjoy it than have to deal with a lot of pressure.”

Meanwhile, Robbie Hennessy was delighted to get another win out of former champion hurdler Sublimity at Cork on Monday.

The 11-year-old was Hennessy’s first triumph as a trainer when he won the December Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown in 2008.

Sublimity had since been absent from the winner’s enclosure but, dropped in class, he reeled in another former Cheltenham hero, Newmill, to provide connections with some Festive cheer.

“I think the horse is in better shape than me, I’ve a bit of a hangover,” said Hennessy.

“I was absolutely delighted to get another win out of him. The race was tailor made for him.

“On paper he looked a good thing, but it is always easier said than done.

“Newmill deserves a lot of credit. I think the boys thought with him being 13 they’d let him go but he stuck at it well – he’s as tough as old boots.

“We’ll look at the Limestone Lad Hurdle at Naas on Saturday week. That’s over two miles and three furlongs but Andrew (Lynch) said that shouldn’t be a problem.

“We’ll look at the Irish Champion Hurdle and see how that cuts up, too.

“He’s bucking and kicking this morning so there’s life in him yet.”