No Leopardstown trip for Altay

Malton trainer Richard Fahey today ruled Altay out of the valuable Pierse Hurdle at Leopardstown next weekend.

Altay had been quoted at 16-1 by Paddy Power for the €130,000 handicap on Sunday but Fahey said: “He won’t run. He’s grand, it’s just very soft over there so we’ll wait for the ground for him.”

The gelding landed a big prize last May when he won the Merewood Homes Swinton Handicap Hurdle at Haydock but the gelding ran below par when sixth behind Rigmarole on his return to action at Cheltenham in November.

“I was very disappointed with his run there,” Fahey said.

The seven-year-old won two of his three starts on Lingfield’s Polytrack surface last winter but is unlikely to run on the Flat until later in the year.

Altay was disqualified after his first success at the Surrey track but was later reinstated on appeal.

The trainer added: “He won’t be going on the Flat at this time – not the all-weather – maybe during in the summer.”