RACING:PAUL NOLAN believes only time will tell whether Wednesday's Lexus Chase at Leopardstown will come too soon for his top-class stayer Joncol.

The giant eight-year-old has finished third in the last two renewals of the Grade One contest and was last seen chasing home the reopposing Rubi Light in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase.

However, with just over a fortnight to recover from that fine effort, Nolan is unsure whether his charge will be able to reproduce that level of performance next week. “We’re pleased with him. You don’t know until you go and run if you’re running too soon or not and it’s only 17 days,” Nolan said.

“He had a very hard race in the John Durkan and some very good horses couldn’t even jump the last. For the ground it was, I think it was a very fast pace and a fast time.

“He seems very well and fresh in himself, but you don’t really know until you go whether he’s flat or not. We’ll wait and see, but we’d prefer it if it was a week later.”

Some supporters of Joncol are pinning their hopes on Rubi Light not staying the trip on his first try at three miles, but Nolan does not expect Robbie Hennessy’s charge to lack stamina.

“I can’t see any reason why Rubi Light won’t stay. Both Davy Russell and Andrew Lynch who’ve ridden the horse are confident that he will stay three miles,” Nolan added. “The ground is going to be testing enough as Leopardstown have had a lot of rain, but I’d be confident Rubi Light will stay, so we’re going to have to improve a few lengths to beat him.”

Nolan admits Noble Prince has plenty on his plate against Big Zeb in the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase at Leopardstown on Tuesday.

Noble Prince found his major rival two lengths too strong in last month’s Fortria Chase at Navan and with the testing conditions at Leopardstown against Nolan’s charge, he feels Big Zeb holds all the aces in Tuesday’s Grade One event.

“He’s in good form and I suppose he’s vulnerable in ground like that, but we have to run in what we have to run in,” Nolan said.