DES McDONOGH, himself an Irish Cheltenham hero with Monksfield in the Champion Hurdles of 1978 and 1979, is well aware of how fickle horse racing can be.

Rathgar Beau has been retired after suffering a recurrence of an old leg problem in the National Lottery Agent Champion Chase at Gowran.

THE veteran Adamant Approach can lead his rivals a merry dance in the Grade Two National Lottery Agent Champion ‘Chase at Gowran Park this afternoon.

Rathgar Beau will make his eagerly-awaited comeback in the National Lottery Agent Champion Chase at Gowran Park on Saturday.

Justified is set to make his seasonal reappearance at Limerick this weekend with connections eyeing a crack at the Stan James King George VI Chase later in the year.

RATHGAR BEAU is set to make an early start to next season after having the current campaign cut short by a tendon injury.

RATHGAR BEAU is set to make an early start to next season after having the current campaign cut short by a tendon injury.

Just under six weeks after his retirement, Moscow Flyer was back at the racecourse and strutting his stuff before an adoring crowd at the Punchestown Festival.

When Roger Loughran won the Grade Two Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown on Central House nobody could deny him his moment in the spotlight.

Central House, beaten by jockey error last time, is set to return to action at Fairyhouse next Sunday.

Barry Geraghty believes Moscow Flyer is back to his old self after teaming up with the dual Queen Mother Champion Chase hero on the gallops.

HAVE a quick glance at the current prices on offer for the Royal and SunAlliance Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and tell me it makes sense there should be such a wide gap between favourite, Black Jack Ketchum, and Noel Meade’s Nicanor.

Beef Or Salmon, twice a winner of the Lexus Chase, is among nine horses left in the €150,000 Grade One contest at Leopardstown on Wednesday week.

MOSCOW FLYER heads a classy 11-strong entry for the Paddy Power Dial-a-Bet Chase at the Leopardstown festival on December 27.

War Of Attrition was eased in the betting for the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup after his disappointing run in the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown.

Central House claimed the scalp of Rathgar Beau with a bold front-running display in the Grade Two O’Connell Warehousing Hilly Way Chase at Cork.

War Of Attrition disappointed as Hi Cloy, trained by Michael Hourigan and ridden by Andrew McNamara, got up in the dying strides to claim glory in the Grade One John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase.

RISING star War Of Attrition can advertise his Cheltenham Gold Cup credentials by landing the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown tomorrow.

Rathgar Beau will bid to make amends for missing last week’s Tingle Creek Chase when he lines up for the O’Connell Warehousing Hilly Way Chase at Cork on Sunday.

HARCHIBALD appears a likely starter in Saturday’s totesport Bula Hurdle at Cheltenham after satisfying Noel Meade in a crucial piece of work on the gallops.

Mick Fitzgerald set himself up for Saturday’s William Hill – Tingle Creek Trophy at Sandown when partnering hot favourite Kauto Star at Paul Nicholls’ yard on Thursday morning.

RATHGAR BEAU remains a possible contender for the William Hill - Tingle Creek Trophy at Sandown on December 3 despite having the Hilly Way Chase at Cork eight days later as his main target.

WAR OF ATTRITION, even if his trainer Mouse Morris refuses to commit him to the race, remained firmly on the Gold Cup trail with a solid half a length defeat of Rathgar Beau in the Clonmel Oil Chase at Clonmel yesterday.

War Of Attrition ran out a convincing winner of the Clonmel Oil Chase under Conor O’Dwyer.

CONOR O’DWYER is confident War Of Attrition can show even more improvement at Clonmel today following his defeat of Kicking King last month.

WAR OF ATTRITION can take another step towards possible Cheltenham Gold Cup glory by proving too strong for Rathgar Beau in the Clonmel Oil Chase at Clonmel this afternoon.

Conor O’Dwyer is confident War Of Attrition can show even more improvement at Clonmel tomorrow following his defeat of Kicking King last month.

WATSON LAKE is fancied to concede weight all round in the Woodlands Park 100 Poplar Square Chase at Naas this afternoon.

Moscow Flyer will face just four rivals when he makes his seasonal bow in the Fortria Chase at Navan on Sunday.

Dual Queen Mother Champion Chase hero Moscow Flyer is set to begin another winter campaign at Navan on Sunday.

Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Kicking King will make his eagerly-awaited reappearance next month, with trainer Tom Taaffe considering possible races at Gowran Park and Punchestown.

JESSICA HARRINGTON, one suspects, always knew it would happen!

Moscow Flyer lost his unbeaten record over fences in the most dramatic fashion at the Punchestown Festival today.

Moscow Flyer will bid to continue his winning streak in the Kerrygold Champion Chase on the first day of the Punchestown Festival tomorrow.

LEADING Irish trainers will be able to judge conditions at Punchestown for themselves today when they go on the annual course walk ahead of next week’s four-day Festival.

Native Upmanship floored the odds-on Rathgar Beau with a bold front-running performan to win the An Uaimh Chase at Navan yesterday.

TASMAN, narrowly beaten in a tough handicap at Fairyhouse on Monday, can redress the balance in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Novice Hurdle at Navan this afternoon.

Thisthatandtother, trained by Paul Nicholls and ridden by Ruby Walsh, won the Daily Telegraph Festival Trophy at Cheltenham today.

WILLIE MULLINS’ Rule Supreme can have Irish eyes smiling on St Patrick’s Day by landing the Ladbrokes’ World Hurdle at Cheltenham this afternoon.

The mouthwatering clash between Azertyuiop, Moscow Flyer and Well Chief is definitely on after all three were declared for tomorrow’s Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham.

Ground conditions will determine which race Rathgar Beau goes for at Cheltenham next week.

CENTRAL HOUSE set himself up for the Cheltenham Festival when running out an embarrassingly easy winner of the Paddy & Helen Cox Memorial Newlands Chase at Naas yesterday.