Listowel Preview:Seven days of the last great festival before winter kicks in begins at Listowel this afternoon and Chevalier Country can get punters off to a flyer ahead of Wednesday's feature event.
The defending champion Bothar Na will be back for another crack at the week's centrepiece, the Guinness Kerry National, for which the Galway legend Ansar is currently topweight.
If Dermot Weld's star doesn't take part then Bothar Na's stable companion Alexander Taipan is the next highest rated and their trainer, Willie Mullins, also hasn't ruled out the remarkable veteran Adamant Approach from an attempt at a 14th career win.
The opening-day feature is the €40,000 Premier Nursery where Chevalier Country can supply the Curragh trainer Jim Gorman with a valuable success. After a number of lean seasons, Gorman has struck back impressively this year and Chevalier Country is weighted to reverse a narrow Gowran defeat by Indiana Gal in today's mile event.
Rocket Ship looks an interesting recruit to fences in the Beginners Chase where Niall Madden is on board a horse who was rated as high as 135 over hurdles at one stage of his career.
Noel Meade's horse returned from a lay-off to win on the flat at Bellewstown this summer and he could be one to beat Tomorrow's Dream.
