Marina might need it- Griffin
Griffin, who trains at Slieverue, County Kilkenny, suffered from the snow which has been playing havoc with Irish racing and caused the Grade One to be abandoned three times from its usual home.
Eight will face the starter and while British contenders The Listener and The Nightingale were not declared, the field still includes the classy Tranquil Sea and Cooldine.
But Glencove Marina will not be out of place, having joined Griffin after an injury-hit spell with Willie Mullins and built upon an ordinary reappearance by beating Notre Pere in the Thurles Chase.
“We are delighted to get going again, it looked like it was in doubt for some time but full marks to the racecourse and the authorities to get it back on,” said Griffin.
“I hope he can run a good race. I think we were hit worse than many by the snow and it caused him to miss a couple of important pieces of work.
“He never missed a day’s exercise, as I have a woodchip and Polytrack at home, but we were planning to take him for a couple of gallops away from home and he couldn’t do it.
“I’d be a little bit anxious he was one bit short, but hopefully it’s enough.”
Looking further ahead, Griffin added: “He’s in the King George and the Lexus and the original plan was to go from the Durkan to the Lexus. We were still snowed under when we had to confirm for the King George and it was really as a precaution in case the weather went bad in Ireland again.
“But it’s quite close now between this and the Lexus, so we’ll have to see what happens here first.”
Edward O’Grady’s Tranquil Sea is an expert over the two-and-a-half-mile trip and got off the mark this term in positive style by taking the Clonmel Oil Chase.
But Mullins has not been able to get a pipe-opener into either J’Y Vole or Cooldine.
Of Cooldine, who was fifth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and third at Punchestown, he said: “He needs to get going.
“It’s a bit close to Christmas and I thought a lot about that, but he’ll take his chance.”
