RACING: Noel Meade is hoping the stormy weather does not disrupt his plans to run Wild Passion in the ladbrokes.com Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown Park on Saturday.
The Royal Bond Hurdle winner pleased connections in a work-out yesterday and having scoped clear, has been given the go-ahead for the Grade One contest. Meade said: "If we can get him over there, he will run."
Meade was hoping to get out last night. Meade said yesterday: "If we are not able to go out tonight, I'm not sure he'll travel, though I suppose we might give it a shot in the morning. But that would be it, because if he didn't get on a boat tomorrow it would be too late."
Wild Passion is vying for favouritism at around 12 to 1 for the Letheby & Christopher Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March with the Martin Pipe-trained Marcel, who is also entered in the Tolworth.
"His work was very good and we are happy with everything," the Navan-based handler added. "I think the Sandown hill would suit him well and he should handle the ground all right. Whatever wins it will be favourite for the Supreme Novices'."
James Blackshaw, owner of exciting novice It's Just Harry, has warned those considering backing the gelding for the Tolworth Hurdle to hold fire. The eight-year-old's trainer Charlie Egerton will not make a decision whether to run until tomorrow morning to give the horse every chance to recover from last week's success at Taunton.
An interesting runner is the ex-French Made In Montot, who gave 7lb and a five-length beating to Marcel at Auteuil in May. The five-year-old will be having his first start for Paul Nicholls, who said: "We are dipping our toe in the water but his French form obviously entitles us to have a go. He gave Marcel 7lb and beat him comprehensively but Marcel has improved enormously for going to Martin.
"We bought our fellow for next year as a novice chaser. He's a big, weak horse who won't be at his best until next autumn."
Phar Bleu could bypass the race with his trainer, Georgie Browne, considering a possible trip to Cheltenham at the end of the month with the four-year-old. "It's still very much up in the air," Browne said yesterday.
Meanwhile, ante-post favourite Harchibald could head straight to Cheltenham for the Smurfit Champion Hurdle if conditions are too testing at Leopardstown later this month. Meade's smart performer has rattled off a hat-trick already this season, including wins in Newcastle's Fighting Fifth and the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.
He is due to run next in the AIG (Europe) Champion Hurdle at the Foxrock track on January 23rd. Meade said: "He's well and there is no reason why he wouldn't go for the AIG at this stage. The whole call with Harchi would be that he is well - that's number one - and then the ground. I don't really want to run him on very heavy ground.
"At the moment there is every possibility that it will be, because we've had plenty of rain over the last five days. We are happy with what he has done and if we could get him to Cheltenham in the frame of mind he's in at the moment it would be great, but a week is a long time in the life of a racehorse.
"If he doesn't go to Leopardstown the only alternative is the Red Mills at Gowran, but whatever chance they have of getting reasonable ground at Leopardstown they have very little hope at Gowran, and I don't really want to take him back to England."
Harchibald is a general 100 to 30 chance for the Champion Hurdle on March 15th.
Meade is considering sending The Bunny Boiler over from his County Meath base for the totesport Classic Chase at Warwick on Saturday week.
The Bunny Boiler has not won over fences since the 2002 Irish Grand National but has shown signs recently that he could be returning to somewhere near his old form. The 11-year-old has also won a Midlands Grand National and is well suited by extreme distances.
