Murphy waits on weather with Inca
Murphy was to have galloped the nine-year-old after racing at Leopardstown yesterday but the meeting was called off.
The County Wexford trainer will now see how long the wet spell lasts before taking his reigning champion hurdler for a final serious spin.
“I’m not sure what we will do yet – we will have to see what the weather is going to do in the next couple of days,” said Murphy.
“I’m not going to gallop him on heavy ground but I would like to take him up to the Curragh.
“We could do that tomorrow or Tuesday but it will depend on the weather.”
Brave Inca is currently a best-priced 4-1 with Stan James to retain his Cheltenham Festival crown.
Meanwhile progressive youngster Kazal is more likely to run at Thurles on Thursday than at the Cheltenham Festival the following week.
The six-year-old will bid for a five-timer wherever he lines up, having maintained his winning run with a gutsy success at Naas towards the end of February.
Handler Eoin Griffin has yet to rule out the Brit Insurance Novices’ Hurdle entirely, however, with underfoot conditions likely to play to his strengths at Prestbury Park.
“The three-mile race is what we’d have in mind for him if we went over there,” he explained.
“Cheltenham isn’t the be-all and end-all. It’s lovely to have a runner over there of his calibre and he would have a very good chance if he does go.
“The ground will probably be soft there and it’s quite unusual for them to have that at Cheltenham and that’s the only factor really why we are still hanging on.
“We’ll leave a decision until later in the week but we’re leaning towards the Thurles race (the Grade Two Michael Purcell Memorial Novice Hurdle).
“It’s a very valuable pot and it’d be a lot less travelling and there’d be a lot of very good horses in the Brit Insurance.”
Although Griffin believes his charge would go to Cheltenham with a decent chance, he feels Kazal has had a fairly taxing season for one so young – and that will play a part in his decision.
“At the start of the season I said I’d give him an easy season and in that regard he’s made a liar of me!” he told At The Races.
“He seems to thrive on racing but I still have in the back of my mind that he’s won his last four races and he’s had hard enough a season.
“In some of his victories he’s been in a battle, especially his last two, so I’m just mindful of the fact that I don’t want to go to the well once too often.”
Kazal currently trades as low as 7-1 with Coral for the Brit Insurance Novices’ Hurdle.
Tom Taaffe believes Cane Brake is capable of taking a hand at the finish of the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Taaffe knows what it takes to win the Festival blue riband after sending out Kicking King to claim the prize in 2005 and is confident Cane Brake has all the right attributes.
“He was a very highly respected novice and was going the right way there,” said Taaffe.
“He probably had every bit as good a profile as Kicking King really but he just never fulfilled his promise through one thing or another at the time.
“He seems to have found his old form, he jumps well, he stays well and I just felt he warrants lining up and I’m sure he’ll justify that on Gold Cup day.
“I wouldn’t be sending him if I didn’t think he would be in the prize money. I’m happy at this stage but there’s a long way to go and he has to get there yet.”
The seven-year-old was last seen when winning at Leopardstown last December but Taafee is not concerned by his lengthy absence.
“He’s in great shape. He was in great from in Navan when he won the Troytown,” he explained.
“He’s had a proper preparation for the Gold Cup because he’s been dropped down, had a break and brought back fresh and well – so far everything is good with him.”
Cane Brake is as low as 16-1 with Paddy Power for the Gold Cup.
