Nick Dundee will not, after all, have one more warm-up race for Cheltenham, and instead a decision on whether or not he takes his chance in the Tote Gold Cup could hinge on a vital piece of work.
After his Gowran Park fall last weekend, the Paddy & Helen Cox Newlands Chase over two miles at Naas on Sunday had been proposed as a possible outing for Nick Dundee, but now he and his stable companion, Go Roger Go, will have a workout instead.
Trainer Edward O'Grady said yesterday: "Neither Nick Dundee or Go Roger Go will run on Sunday. We will work them and then make a decision about Cheltenham. No decision on the Gold Cup will be made until after Nick Dundee works or possibly a little while later."
The John Magnier-owned horse drifted right out to 33 to 1 with some bookies for the Gold Cup after his disappointing fall behind Bob Treacy at Gowran last Saturday.
As for the Tripleprint Gold Cup hero, Go Roger Go, O'Grady said: "He is entered in three handicaps at Cheltenham and I will have to look at the weights and see how he works before I decide where he runs. We've taken the decision not to run at Naas because we feel it is in the best interests of the horses."
Other Cheltenhan news yesterday centred on confirmation that Ruby Walsh will ride the Dermot Weld-trained Stage Affair in the Smurfit Champion and that the horse will probably wear blinkers.
Stage Affair finished in front in a schooling hurdle at Fairyhouse on Tuesday, and Weld said: "He wore blinkers then and will probably wear them at Cheltenham. Ruby Walsh will have the mount and I was very pleased with how the horse went at Fairyhouse."
The home action today is at Thurles, where an ordinary eight-race card could briefly escape the mundane during the Killinan Novice Chase.
Tony Martin runs last year's smart novice hurdler Ross Moff against 13 others as a prep for the Cheltenham festival, where the eight-year-old has a range of options, including the Arkle, the SunAlliance Chase and the Cathcart.
Adrian Maguire attracted some flak for his riding of Ross Moff at Leopardstown behind Well Ridden, but the horse had waltzed up over the course on his fencing debut and Conor O'Dwyer is back in the plate today.
Killultagh Storm won well from Minella Hotel and Shiny Bay at Naas and will provide a reasonable test, but in all truth this race should be all about Ross Moff.
O'Dwyer rides the course and distance winner, Over The First, in the opener, but preference is for the O'Grady-trained Best Grey, who battled well at Fairyhouse to short head Adamant Approach.
Wexford and Rosswellan appear to hold obvious chances in the divisions of the handicap hurdle; and Park Leader, joint favourite when fourth to the ill fated A Friend Of Mine at Galway in September, should go close in the amateur maiden hurdle.
