Cuan Na Grai given Galway go-ahead

Cuan Na Grai could return to Galway, the scene of his greatest triumph, after opening his account over fences at Killarney.

The eight-year-old had not visited the winner’s enclosure since the Guinness Galway Handicap in August 2006, and made an inauspicious start to his chasing career when falling at Navan in February.

However, he put all that behind him with an 11-length victory in a beginners’ chase last week, that has his trainer Paul Nolan again thinking of Galway.

“There’s a nice novice chase for him in Roscommon in about a fortnight’s time,” said the County Wexford handler.

“Hopefully the weather will pick up a bit, we’ve had awful rain in the last week again.

“We’ll then think about the Galway Festival. There’s a two-mile novice chase there we would look at, all being well.”

Nolan could keep Noble Prince busy after the French import continued his recent good run by winning a two-and-a-half-mile hurdle at Punchestown on Tuesday night.

“We probably went to war a bit quick with him when we brought him over from France,” Nolan explained.

“He’s come on and his last three runs have been very good.

“We’ll take a look at the entries as he loses his novice status in about November, because he won before the end of the season.

“We might as well take advantage and make hay while the sun shines if the ground remains safe, with a good cut in it.

“I would not like to take a chance with this fellow on good, good to firm ground.”