Mouse Morris sends pair to Wetherby

Irish trainer Mouse Morris will be double-handed with Alcapone and Rostropovich at Wetherby on Saturday.

His two runners go for the two feature races on the card – Alcapone tackling the richest race ever staged at the track, the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase, while the grey Rostropovich goes for the John Smith’s Hurdle.

Alcapone made an encouraging debut at Gowran Park three weeks ago when beaten three lengths by Go Roger Go.

And Rostropovich is fresh from a warm-up run on the Flat in the Irish Cesarewitch at the Curragh earlier this month.

“Both are in good shape and I expect them to run well,” said the Co Tipperary trainer.

Morris is not concerned about what the state of the ground might be.

“They’ll still go but it looks as though we’re going to have a week of rain anyway.”

Wetherby chief executive Tim Betteridge reported this morning that they have had some rain.

He said: “We had 10 millimetres of rain overnight which has helped and the forecast is unsettled.”