Racing News round-upChristy Roche is taking nothing for granted but still reports the star mare Like-A-Butterfly on track for her eagerly-awaited second chase start at Leopardstown on St Stephen's Day.
The JP McManus-owned horse returned from a long injury break to secure a spectacular first victory over fences last month and has already been installed a 6 to 4 favourite with Cashmans to make it two from two in the Durkan New Homes Novice Chase.
"I don't like to look too far ahead but she is in great nick at the moment and I'm more than happy with her. She worked on Tuesday morning and did very well.
We're on track - at the moment," the Curragh trainer said yesterday.
Conor O'Dwyer rode Like-A-Butterfly on her chasing debut and will keep the ride on Sunday.
Tony McCoy, who is McManus's retained rider, will be at Kempton for the mount on First Gold in the King George VI Chase but the British champion jockey will be at Leopardstown on Monday.
"He's coming for the Paddy Power day. He'll probably ride Oh Be The Hokey in the big handicap, Man About Town and a few others," said the McManus spokesman, Frank Berry, yesterday.
Like-A-Butterfly, who is a 12 to 1 co-favourite for Cheltenham's Arkle Trophy, will be taken on again at the weekend by Newmill who finished well behind her at Naas but has since won impressively at Clonmel.
With Barry Geraghty in Kempton for the King George ride on Kicking King, and Davy Russell committed to the Edward O'Grady-trained Ned Kelly, Newmill's trainer Thomas O'Leary has moved to secure the services of Garrett Cotter.
Cotter has ridden Newmill only once in the horse's 11-race career but that was the biggest of the lot so far in last year's Grade One Royal Bond Hurdle after which he was replaced by Geraghty.
"Garrett has ridden him before and we've booked him for Sunday. The horse is in great form and we're looking forward to it," O'Leary said.
The Leopardstown authorities maintained yesterday that they are not particularly concerned about the cold weather snap forecast to arrive over the Christmas period and the ground there remains "soft."
The cold conditions are set to arrive tomorrow and continue through St Stephen's Day but a track spokesman said yesterday: "We're a long way from D-Day yet!"
Racing manager Tom Burke added: "There is some frost forecast for St Stephen's Day but there is a really good covering of grass here and I would be quite amazed if the frost had an effect.
"We will keep an eye on things, keep in contact with the Met Office and if we get through the first day of the festival we should be OK. Milder conditions are forecast after that."
Martinstown, one of the high profile bumper performers of last season but who was beaten favourite on his jumping debut at Punchestown earlier in the month, is set to try and restore his reputation in the opening race of the festival.
Another entry in the race is the Edward O'Grady-trained Forty Licks but that smart bumper horse is set to wait until later in the week for a race over two and a half miles.
One horse that will miss out on a Christmas appearance this year, however, is last season's Ericsson runner-up Le Coudray. Christy Roche reports it will be February before that JP McManus-owned runner will start again.
This season's renewal, now known as the Lexus, could have a very small field of runners with only Beef Or Salmon, Pizarro and Cloudy Bays currently committed to taking on the triple Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Best Mate.
Harbour Pilot is rated just "50-50" to take his chance while Barrow Drive has an alternative engagement at Tramore on New Year's Day.
Rule Supreme also has the option of the Woodies.com Christmas Hurdle while Kicking King is committed to running in the King George at Kempton and has been entered for Leopardstown purely as a precaution.
Meanwhile, Ruby Walsh has opted to ride Azertyuiop instead of stable companion and second-favourite Le Roi Miguel in the King George VI Chase. Trainer Paul Nicholls yesterday confirmed that Azertyuiop, the two-mile champion chaser, would step up to three miles for the first time in the St Stephen's Day feature leaving Walsh with a dilemma.
The jockey had initially been expected to ride the impressive Peterborough Chase winner Le Roi Miguel but he has now switched to Azertyuiop, who he has ridden 10 times in the past.
"The decision to ride Azertyuiop was down to Ruby. I was under the impression he would ride Le Roi Miguel but Andy Stewart (Le Roi Miguel's owner) has sportingly agreed to allow Ruby to ride the champion chaser," Nicholls said.
Paul Carberry will now step in for the mount on Le Roi Miguel who is as low as 4 to 1 behind Kicking King and Henrietta Knight's doubtful runner Best Mate.
The Wantage trainer is hoping to run Best Mate in the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown on Tuesday and Edredon Bleu in the King George VI Chase.
And her stable received a boost when Zaffamore got the better of Maxie McDonald by three-quarters of a length in the £20,000 Tanners Wines Handicap Chase at Ludlow yesterday. However, the 16 to 1 chance had to survive a stewards' inquiry before being confirmed the winner.
It was an exciting race with three horses jumping the last together with the eventual winner drifting to his left across Maxie McDonald on the run-in. As a result Zaffamore's jockey Jim Culloty was found guilty of careless riding, having allowed his horse to drift off a straight line, and was suspended for one day on January 2nd.
Ludlow is always a happy hunting ground for Knight and she completed a 39 to 1 double when Flinders Bay (11 to 8 favourite) was the easy winner of the closing Tanners Burgundy Standard National Hunt Flat Race to send punters home happy.
However, earlier in the afternoon Love Triangle was sent off at 1 to 2 for the Tanners Claret Juvenile Novices' Hurdle and seemed to be cruising under Timmy Murphy turning for home, but was out battled in the run to the line by Bill Turner's 66 to 1 shot A Double Ewe Bee, who won by three lengths.
BETTING (Durkan Chase, Cashmans): 6-4 Like-A-Butterfly, 7-2 Newmill, 4 Mariah Rollins, 6 Ned Kelly, 8 Sir Oj, 12 Kahuna and Tiger Cry, 14 Guilt, 50 Aye-Aye-Popeye, 66 Steel Band, 80 Healy's Pub.
