The Irish racing caravan grinds back into gear at Down Royal this afternoon and there are no inspections planned for a scheduled seven-race card.
Having said that, the appearance of Our Meg in the second division of the maiden hurdle may cause a slightly queasy feeling among the racecourse management.
The unfortunate mare has missed out on any number of engagements in the last month because of the foul weather, and the fact that Our Meg was usually lumbered with this column's tip can only have contributed to the jinx.
One hesitates to saddle her with the responsibility again but Our Meg does look to hold an outstanding chance yet again. The two mile trip on heavy going looks ideal and, before all the interruptions, the Francis Flood team was in outstanding form.
On the basis that that is still the case, and the form boost that Beeper's Gale has given to Our Meg's last race at Thurles, the six-year-old is expected to finally break her duck over flights.
The Floods also look to hold a first-rate chance in the mares' maiden hurdle with Super Aisling. This one was slightly disappointing at Navan last time out but she is a winner of a reasonable Leopardstown bumper and a reproduction of that sort of effort could well suffice against some hardly earth-shattering opposition.
Racing opens with the maiden hurdle, where in the first division the German-bred Aldino, a namesake of a former Cheltenham festival winner, will grab some attention on the basis of his fifth to Moving On Up at Leopardstown over Christmas.
Preference, however, is for Arthur Moore's Mini Sensation, who ran an encouraging race behind the Beeper's Gale and today's nap, Our Meg, at Thurles in December and should have come on from that.
The two steeplechases have been placed at the end of the card. Michael O'Brien's classy operator Dovaly goes in the novice chase. Well beaten behind the SunAlliance prospect Native Estates at Leopardstown's Ladbroke meeting, Dovaly faces nothing of that calibre here.
Preference, though, is for Native Estate's stable companion Church Place, who ran on very gamely to split Sarsfield The Man and Notcomplainingbut at Leopardstown and should appreciate more than most the two and a half mile trip on deep going.
Charlie Swan can don his training cap successfully with Mighty Marble in the handicap chase. David Casey will be in the plate on this Downpatrick winner who was the only one to make a race of it with Glin Castle in Cork at the start of December, and this dour stayer will make it difficult for the likes of Heather Ville and Isle Of Iona.
Make A Move has enough decent hurdles form to figure in the handicap hurdle, while Asklynn, who missed out on an engagement over the weekend, can go in the bumper.
The British champion jockey Tony McCoy has lost out to Shay Barry who will ride His Song in Sunday's Baileys Arkle Cup at Leopardstown.
Barry won the Dennys on His Song at Leopardstown over Christmas and has kept the ride despite speculation that McCoy would be reunited with the horse. McCoy rode His Song when the gelding was beaten at Punchestown in November. His Song was subsequently found to be suffering from a lung infection.
His Song's trainer Mouse Morris said yesterday: "We've decided to let Shay keep the ride in view of the fact that he won on him last time. McCoy will ride Puget Blue in the same race."
Lord Gyllene will bid to repeat his 1997 victory in the Singer & Friedlander National Trial at Uttoxeter on February 6th.
