Nicanor on the comeback trail

Nicanor, the only horse to have beaten Denman, is poised to make his first start for nearly two years.

Noel Meade’s seven-year-old has been sidelined since April 2006 with leg problems but could run over timber at Fairyhouse next week.

“Nicanor will work this week and if he works well and is OK, then he will run at Fairyhouse,” said Meade.

“He’s in the Powers Gold Cup and has schooled well over fences, but it’s more likely he will start back in the two-and-a-half-mile hurdle on Easter Monday.

“We will probably wait until next season before sending him chasing,” the County Meath trainer told the Racing Post.

Nicanor’s finest hour was when he defeated the Gold Cup-winning Denman by two and a half lengths in the 2006 Royal & SunAlliance Novices’ Hurdle.