Accordion tuned up for repeat victory

Accordion Etoile will bid for a second successive victory in the Grade Three betdaq.com Hurdle at Tipperary on Sunday.

Paul Nolan’s six-year-old beat Grimes by six lengths in the two-mile race last year and he lines up again ahead of a possible run at the Galway Festival later this month.

Accordion Etoile was last seen in action when finishing sixth in the Aintree Hurdle back in April, and before that he was fourth in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Nolan expects him to be fit enough to do himself justice.

He said: “He’s the highest-rated horse in the race, but there are some decent handicappers in there and Ansar is a good horse when he’s in form.

“Our horse is in good shape and this is a race we have been looking at for a while. We gave him a break, then brought him back in in plenty of time, and he has been cantering away for six or seven weeks now.

“He seems in good form and the ground will be perfect, so we are hoping he will run well and come back safe and sound.”

Nolan has mentioned a possible tilt at the Galway Hurdle, but he is keen to see how Accordion Etoile fares on Sunday first.

He added: “We will see how he runs before making any plans. Galway is a possibility, but we want to see how he comes out of this race before deciding on any targets.”

Accordion Etoile will face eight rivals including the Dermot Weld-trained Ansar, winner of last year’s Galway Plate, and Charlie Swan’s Anno Jubilo, who warmed up for this race with a win on the Flat at Leopardstown last Saturday.