Cowboy’s Punchestown target still undecided
His two options at the four-day fixture are the Emo Oil Champion Hurdle over two miles on Friday week or the Ballymore Properties Champion Stayers' Hurdle over three miles the previous day. Both are Grade One events.
The star hurdler's rider amateur J P Magnier said that a final decision had still to be taken on which race the horse would contest.
The Jonjo O'Neill-trained eight-year-old most recently beat Rooster Booster in the Martell Cognac Aintree Hurdle at Liverpool and could reoppose that rival and Smurfit Champion Hurdle winner Hardy Eustace in the €160,000 Emo Oil Champion Hurdle.
But he could instead line-up in the €125,000 Champion Stayers' Hurdle over three miles, in which stablemate Iris's Gift is an expected starter.
"Rhinestone Cowboy is definitely going to Punchestown," said Magnier, whose parents John and Sue own the gelding.
"Although it hasn't yet been finalised which race he will go for, we've got to wait and see on a few things.
"But he's apparently very well at home after Aintree and all set to go on to Punchestown. I've not ridden a winner there before and can't wait to ride him."
The going is currently soft after 10 millimetres of rain at the weekend.
Punchestown's racing manager Richie Galway said: "We have had 60 millimetres of rain so far in April and the weather is set to remain unsettled during this week with showers each day up to and including Thursday.
"But more settled conditions with warmer temperatures are forecast towards the weekend."
Meanwhile Cenkos is set to take his chance in the two-mile Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Celebration Chase at Sandown on Saturday.
The winner of the race two years ago, Cenkos will bid to reverse placings with last season's victor, Seebald.
Owner Andy Stewart revealed yesterday that he has booked Barry Geraghty for the ride on his 10-year-old, who could make a quick second appearance in Ireland only days later.
"He's a tough old horse and two quick runs won't bother him," said Stewart.
"In fact when he won this race two years ago it was only 12 days after he had run in Japan in the Nakayama Grand Jump.
"He's very well at the moment. He's doing cartwheels. And I hope we can beat Seebald again I think the score is 5-1 to us at the moment.
"On official ratings he would have to have a good chance, and provided he is OK, he will go on to Punchestown, along with My Will, who will run in the four-year-old hurdle if there is some cut in the ground."
Sandown officials are confident they can avoid a mudbath for this weekend's prestigious meeting despite the possibility of substantial rain over the next 24 hours.
With the going already on the soft side on both the Flat and jumps courses, trainers are sure to be watching the weather before confirming plans for their charges.
But clerk of the course Andrew Cooper insisted today that even the possibility of up to another 15mm of rain today would not cause a problem at the course.
"We are forecast to get up to 5mm tonight and then anything between two and 15mm tomorrow, depending on whether the showers avoid us or not," he said.
"But after that it is looking much better and even on the Flat course where it is softest at the moment I would be hopeful of producing a good racing surface.
"The Flat course is essentially virgin turf and is soaking up the rain we have had a bit more than the jumps track at the moment. But it will also dry out quickly if we have a nice couple of days."
A total of 23 entries remain in the feature £150,000 Betfred Gold Cup, known most famously as the Whitbread Gold Cup but sponsored this year for the first time by bookmaker Fred Done.
The sponsors make Lord Atterbury and Shardam their 6-1 joint favourites for the Betfred Gold Cup, although the former's trainer Martin Pipe said today that a decision has yet to be taken over the participation of the Martell Cognac Grand National third.
"We were really delighted with him at Aintree. However, he did have quite a hard race," Pipe said.
"We are likely to make a decision on Thursday."
Of the eight possible runners for the Pipe stable, four at least could be in the final line-up.
Stormez, Puntal, Iznogoud and Bounce Back are all intended starters, while plans for the other quartet are expected to become clearer nearer to the race.
Early Grand National casualty Shardam, who has been well supported in the betting yesterday, is also set to take his chance, according to his trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies.
