RACING: Florida Pearl will avoid next week's Aintree Grand National meeting and instead wait to try and repeat last year's Heineken Gold Cup triumph at Punchestown.
The Willie Mullins-trained star also won last season's Martell Cup at Liverpool but a quick return to Britain has been ruled out after a fruitless drop in distance for Cheltenham's Champion Chase.
"I'm just not happy with him and we've taken the view to wait for Punchestown," said Mullins yesterday.
The Co Carlow trainer had also previously been seriously considering a tilt at the Grand National but even with Florida Pearl missing, a strong Irish team will travel to try and pick up the famous pot.
The David's Lad saga will continue at the Supreme Court tomorrow morning where a stay on the ban ruling the horse out of the National could be granted.
The JP McManus owned Youlneverwalkalone has been well backed for the National in recent days but isn't a certain runner with watering having started at the track.
The nearest MacManus has come to winning the National was when Laura's Beau ran third to Party Politics in 1992.
Barry Geraghty rode Youlneverwalkalone to victory in the William Hill National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham but he is committed to riding the Kerry National winner Monty's Pass in the big race. Other intended National starters are Cregg House and Good Shuil but the Dessie Hughes-trained Rathbawn Prince will skip the National in favour of Friday's Topham Trophy or a handicap chase over the Mildmay course.
With Florida Pearl bypassing the meeting, Willie Mullins's Aintree interest could centre on the quirky but high class Holy Orders in the Martell Hurdle.
However, before then, Holy Orders is an intended starter in Saturday's Alleged Stakes, a 10-furlong Listed race at Leopardstown.
Black Sam Bellamy, a brother to Galileo, and a Group One winner in his own right in Italy last autumn, is also an intended starter for the Ballydoyle team.
The Association of Irish Racecourses and the Racecourse Medical Officers Association have both agreed the doctors on duty at race meetings for the next year will receive a375.
That is less than the a500 per day the RMOA were looking for and is the result of the one-year deal hammered out between the two sides on Tuesday night.
"It is an interim agreement for one year that we had offered before but this time they accepted it," said the RMOA chairman Dr David Maloney.
"We have compromised on money because the main issue is the organisation's future. As a result we have agreed a forum will be organised for the relevant racing partners, us, the AIR, HRI and the Turf Club, to look at the problems, " he said.
