DERMOT WELD has Vital Plot primed and ready to strike in the first major prize of 2009 at Leopardstown on Sunday and bookmakers are taking no chances. Vital Plot is still only a novice, but he is already as low as 12 to 1 fourth-favourite for the Pierse Hurdle, which is worth €66,000 to the winner and which has an entry of 37 horses still in it, writes Brian O'Connor
Robin Du Bois is a 6 to 1 favourite, with the Willie Mullins-trained Imperial Hills next best in the betting at 8 to 1. But Weld has a history of upsetting the odds in this race.
It is 10 years since the legendary champion flat trainer landed the spoils, when it was known as the Ladbroke, and that was with the 25 to 1 shot Archive Footage.
No such fancy odds will be available about Vital Plot, who has already done well over hurdles this season and won a Grade Three at Tipperary before finishing fifth to the high-class Hurricane Fly in the Grade One Royal Bond at Fairyhouse in November.
"He has won three races and he is entitled to have a crack at Sunday's race, although I must say the handicapper has taken no chances with him and has given him the maximum amount of weight," Weld said yesterday.
"Having said that, he is in great form and is a very decent horse. He is also very adaptable in terms of ground, but good going is probably best for him. That means the recent cold snap could turn out to be good for him. The more it dries out the better," he added.
There was encouragement in that regard from the Leopardstown authorities yesterday where the going on the hurdles track was officially "yielding". The ground on the chase course was "yielding to soft".
Leopardstown manager Tom Burke said: "Winds are supposed to pick up during Friday night with some milder air, and temperatures could hit double figures on Sunday. But we are being told not to expect any rain of any great significance, so I can't see things changing too much."
One man who has yet to land a Pierse is the champion owner JP McManus, but he will be triple-handed going into Sunday's race, with Tony McCoy likely to be on board either Wanango or Dancing Tornado.
"The three of them - Wanango, Alpine Eagle and Dancing Tornado - will run," said McManus' racing manager, Frank Berry, yesterday. "Tony will probably be on Wanango or Dancing Tornado, but if the weights go up the other fellah could come into the equation as well."
The highest-rated entry is the former Champion Chase winner Newmill, whose trainer, John Murphy, won't make a decision about running until later this week.
One man keen to find out what Murphy will do is the Yorkshire-based Richard Fahey, who has the sole cross-sea-trained entry in Bolodenka. Master Tribe in 1997 was the last British-trained winner of the race.
"The owner (Enda Hunston) is from Ireland and was quite keen to run," said Fahey yesterday.
"It is a handicap hurdle we should be competitive in. We are in off 107 and we race off 115 over here because of the discrepancy between the English and Irish handicappers.
"Generally the Irish man drops us 6lb, but he has only dropped us four as he was 111 at the entry stage. But we have since gone up 4lb, so we are quite well in," Fahey added.
Eoin Griffin is anxious to run his former smart flat horse Sanglote in the Pierse despite him having won his maiden at Limerick only over Christmas.
"He won nicely at Christmas and even though it was a maiden he has a lot of experience behind him," Griffin said. "He had a wind operation after he ran at Listowel in September and it seems to have worked a treat. He will have blinkers on again and he has a nice weight.
"It looks like the topweight might stay in, so my horse will be at the right end of the handicap," he added, before expressing the hope that the Classic-winning rider Séamus Heffernan might keep the partnership with Sanglote from Limerick intact.
"I'm not sure if Séamie is going to ride again, but I'm hopeful he will," he said.
