Colm Murphy is delighted with the current condition of his veteran Big Zeb ahead of Sunday’s Irish Form Book Fortria Chase at Navan.

Recent Curragh winner Authorization aims to overcome his relative inexperience and plunder some of the good prize-money on offer in the Guinness Handicap at the Galway Festival on Friday.

I HAVE had it in my head for a long time that The Midnight Club could be an ideal Grand National candidate and am obviously very much looking forward to riding him at Aintree this afternoon.

WE may have seen a couple of future stars in action at Limerick yesterday in the Happy Mother’s Day Novice Hurdle.

A NEW addition to the Festival, it attracts those novices that don’t possess the speed for the Arkle but similarly don’t have the stamina or will to tackle the RSA Chase.

Donald McCain had “no complaints” after ante-post favourite Ballabriggs was allotted a weight of 11st in the 2011 John Smith’s Grand National.

Hurricane Fly gave trainer Willie Mullins his first BHP Insurances Irish Champion Hurdle success when boosting his Cheltenham prospects at Leopardstown.

WILLIE MULLINS has left both Flat Out and Quel Esprit in Sunday’s Frank Ward Solicitors Arkle Novice Chase at Leopardstown on Sunday – but stable companion Mikael D’Haguenet is a notable absentee.

ROBBIE HENNESSY was delighted to get another win out of former champion hurdler Sublimity at Cork on Monday.

James Motherway has been forced to rule Bluesea Cracker out of Saturday’s rearranged Coral Welsh National at Chepstow.

Mr Cracker ran his three rivals into the ground to give trainer Michael Hourigan back-to-back victories in the Greenmount Park Novice Chase at Limerick.

The flowering partnership between Paul Nicholls and Noel Fehily continued apace at Cheltenham when Sam Winner (4-1) ran out an easy victor of the JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial, the first race on Paddy Power Gold Cup day.

BELORD, having only a second outing for John Joe Walsh, was much too good for the opposition in the Winter Wonderland Maiden Hurdle at Limerick yesterday.

ADRIAN MAGUIRE’S Anshan Dreams followed his win in a maiden at Tipperary with a smooth success in the INH Stallion Owners’ EBF Novice Hurdle at Cork yesterday.

ADRIAN MAGUIRE jumped about six feet into the air at Limerick yesterday, after his Golden Kite had beaten Fisher Bridge a short head in the ladbrokes.com Munster National.

AS the RTÉ television commentary team came to terms with the success of 25/1 outsider, Bluesea Cracker, in the Irish Grand National, Ted Walsh admitted he had never heard of the winner’s sire.

Bluesea Cracker, trained by James Motherway, landed an incident-packed renewal of the Powers Whiskey Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse.

PHILIP Fenton plans to walk the track before committing Dunguib to the Deloitte Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown on Sunday.

Pat Doyle is hoping Mister Top Notch stands his ground so that Kilcrea Castle will not have too much weight to carry in the Leopardstown Handicap Chase on Sunday.

POLICE in New Zealand are hoping that posters featuring a photo of Robbie Coltrane will help them catch a teenage burglar.

IT was a match against Greystones six or seven years ago.