Ladbroke Hurdle winner Bayan is on target for the Prix Juigne at Auteuil on March 1 which would make him unlikely to take up his entry in the Coral Cup at the Cheltenham Festival.

Spacious Sky should make Ruby Walsh’s trip to Down Royal worthwhile by landing the Bet With The Tote Handicap Hurdle today.

Salsify, the 2013 Foxhunter Chase winner, could be in line for a popular return to Cheltenham in March.

Garde La Victoire has been left with top weight following the five-day confirmations for The Ladbroke at Ascot on Saturday, in which a number of contenders have come in for support.

Davy Condon is nearing a return to competitive action after riding out on Wednesday morning for the first time since suffering a heavy fall at Cork in August.

Noel Meade is considering a tilt at The Ladbroke at Ascot for recent Fairyhouse scorer Waxies Dargle.

J P McManus enjoyed his first success in the Guinness Galway Hurdle when the Tony Martin-trained Thomas Edison stormed away with the fiercely competitive - at least in theory - major handicap at Ballybrit yesterday.

JP McManus claimed another significant landmark in an esteemed racing career when Thomas Edison gave the powerful owner a first victory in the Guinness Galway Hurdle.

Gordon Elliott tells Caroline Whelan that he’s really looking forward to next week’s Galway Festival…

Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen shared a treble in rain-sodden Leopardstown as Tarafiyla, Hellenistic and Starlet recorded emphatic victories on a night when Jim Bolger and Kevin Manning doubled-up with News At Six and Teocht.

Galway Race Committee yesterday announced that Guinness has renewed its festival sponsorship for a further five years to the value of €1million.

Nico de Boinville and Whisper just saw off Tony McCoy on Get Me Out Of Here in a thrilling race for the Coral Cup.

Gordon Elliot’s Bayan justified favouritism with a game display in the featured Races Supporters’ Club Lartigue Hurdle at Listowel yesterday.

The days when Noel Meade was a major force at Galway are in the distant past, but he showed last night he hasn’t lost the touch when saddling Curley Bill to land the featured Guinness Handicap.

Courage, hardly the most aptly named horse in training, is the nap choice to get off the mark over flights in the Sean Naughton Auctioneer Maiden Hurdle at Roscommon tonight.

Call Me Bubbles should prove tough to beat in the Tipperary Water 4-Y-0 Hurdle at Ballinrobe tonight.

The Ger Lyons-trained Keeping looked a decent prospect when foiling favourite Bint Nayef in the Irish Stallion Farms Fillies Maiden in Dundalk last night.

Byerley Babe, trained by Robert Tyner for J P McManus, justified favouritism in the Easter Handicap Hurdle at Cork yesterday.

A roadside bomb in western Afghanistan left three civilians dead and 48 wounded, including 10 children.

A roadside bomb in Afghanistan left two civilians dead and 48 wounded, including 10 children, officials said today.