Flemenstar wasn’t himself, claims owner

Flemenstar’s owner Stephen Curran is adamant his horse did not show his true colours in his defeat to Sir Des Champs at Leopardstown on Saturday.

Debate has raged for weeks about the best distance for the charismatic Peter Casey-trained chaser, who has looked so smart at up to two and a half miles, and connections were keen to give him another chance at three miles after his third-placed finish in the Lexus Chase over Christmas.

Flemenstar was held up by Andrew Lynch and eventually beaten by a length and three-quarters in the Hennessy Gold Cup, but Curran wants to see if something was wrong with the gelding before important decisions are made.