Willie Mullins has the little matter of Tuesday's Melbourne Cup attempt by Simenon occupying his mind, but he also looks to have a big handicap pot nearer home in his sights on Sunday at Leopardstown.
The champion National Hunt trainer has outlined plans to run Call Me Bubbles and Mourad in the €100,000 November Handicap which is scheduled to be the final race on the last card of the 2013 Irish flat season on turf.
Call Me Bubbles was a late withdrawal from the big two-mile handicap last year due to a temperature but is among 24 entries left in the race after yesterday’s forfeit stage.
“He’ll run on the flat in the November Handicap at Leopardstown before going back over hurdles,” said Mullins who outlined a similar plan for Mourad.
Ground conditions are verging on heavy at the Co Dublin track which could wind up determining running plans for some of the big handicap field, including the prolific Ancient Sands, winner of his last four starts.
Unusually, Aidan O’Brien has only Mekong River among the eight remaining entries for the Listed Eyrefield Stakes, a race he used in 2002 to throw up the future classic winner Yesterday.
