RACING: Last season's Champion Chase runner-up Native Upmanship is on target to make his first start of the new term at Naas on Saturday.
Arthur Moore confirmed yesterday that the versatile star will run in the Woodlands Park 100 Poplar Chase over the minimum two-mile trip.
The John Durkan Memorial which Native Upmanship won two years ago is the next intended start for the horse but his Christmas target remains unclear.
"He's in the Ericsson at Leopardstown and the King George at Kempton and where he goes will depend on the going and the opposition in both cases," Moore said.
"But we will have to get Saturday out of the way first. He's fit and well and in good form," he added.
After finishing runner-up to Flagship Uberalles at Cheltenham, Native Upmanship won over two and a half miles at Aintree before running second to Florida Pearl at the Punchestown Festival over three miles.
That versatility means Paddy Power are quoting the horse at 12 to 1 for the Queen Mother Champion Chase and he also gets a 33 to 1 Gold Cup quote from them.
The Fortria winner Alcapone also features in the Naas race and is one of 14 left in the Sunday highlight at Clonmel, the Morris Oil Chase.
An eye-catching entry is the star novice Barrow Drive but the Tony Mullins-trained horse, who is on a streak of five wins in a row, is most unlikely to start.
"The Drinmore Chase at Fairyhouse has been the plan all along with him and it remains the same. I don't see any reason to change.
"I just stuck him in at Clonmel in case there were weather problems at Fairyhouse and the Drinmore was under threat. But we have no intention to run there," Mullins said yesterday.
Last year's winner Moscow Express again figures in the race, as does the Grand Annual winner Fadoudal Du Cochet.
The ground for the weekend is likely to be testing after the normally resilient Gowran Park track fell victim to the weather with the scheduled Thursday meeting being cancelled early yesterday morning.
Heavy rain made the course unraceable but the card has been rescheduled by the Turf Club to Thursday, December 12th.
That leaves today's Downpatrick fixture as the sole midweek card with the ground at the Northern track forecast to be "soft."
Norman Williamson travels north and has a very interesting ride in the opening maiden hurdle on the Michael Grassick-trained Irish Empire.
This one raced off a mark of 91 on his last flat start and Grassick's ability to get them switching codes successfully is proven.
One Night Out looks the class newcomer in the beginners' chase having run off a hurdle rating of 124 at the Punchestown Festival in April.
Alan Crowe had a most successful day at Navan on Sunday and the top amateur rider could be the one to land the bumper on The Real Bob.
