Racing Digest: Willie Mullins's Cheltenham Festival scorer Rule Supreme jumped himself into the French Champion Hurdle picture with a spirited third in the Prix La Barka at Auteuil yesterday.
The Royal & SunAlliance Chase winner belied his starting price of 40 to 1, handling the French hurdles like an Auteuil regular under David Casey to come four lengths and a neck behind Great Love and odds-on favourite Nickname.
Mullins, who sent out Nobody Told Me to win last year's French Champion, said: "He'll be coming back. I'd give him a similar chance to Nobody Told Me."
Trainer Michael Hourigan has collected a sizeable collection of trophies from Limerick racecourse and the locally-based trainer added two further prizes to his haul yesterday, when winning the opening two races. The double began in the opening mares maiden hurdle when The Screamer finally added to her debut bumper win at Listowel in September 2001.
Conor O'Dwyer deputised for injured Barry Geraghty and had little trouble riding The Screamer to a comfortable two length win.
O'Dwyer, again filling in for Geraghty, was also on board Hourigan's The Real Solara, who completed the double in the three mile maiden hurdle. Six non-runners left a depleted field of six runners, with O'Dwyer easing the ex-point to pointer winner down close home.
Barry Geraghty hopes to be back in action later this week despite injuring his left hand on his comeback ride at Punchestown on Friday night. He was returning after being out of action for over three weeks with a broken right thumb.
This time he sustained a slight crack of the bone near his left little finger when Elbows Maguinness fell at the second fence in the Panda Waste Novice Chase..
Godolphin confirmed yesterday that Frankie Dettori will leave it until the last possible moment before committing himself to one of the Dubai outfit's two fillies in Friday's Oaks.
He has yet to choose between the two market leaders for the Epsom Classic, UltimateBet.com 1,000 Guineas runner-up Sundrop and easy Tattersalls Musidora Stakes winner Punctilious. Final declarations for the race will be made on Wednesday, and there are 10 possible starters.
