Today's Irish Preview: An inch and a half of snow in just 45 minutes yesterday afternoon has put today's Fairyhouse meeting in doubt and the track will have to pass an 8.0am inspection this morning. The track manager Dick Shiel last evening was determined to be positive but conceded that any more snow showers would not be good news. "If we get any more on top of what we have at the moment then we would be in trouble and the forecast is not encouraging," he said. "All the snow has cleared off the roads and Tarmac but the track is currently covered and unraceable."

The equivalent meeting at Fairyhouse in late February of last year was abandoned and temperatures at the course on Thursday night hit minus five.

The Al Eile team are hoping regular jockey Timmy Murphy will be available to ride their star hurdler at the Cheltenham festival. Murphy is retained by the top English owner David Johnson but Al Eile's trainer John Queally is still banking on him being available for the big race in ten days time.

"Timmy is obviously our first choice but it depends on what Mr Johnson is doing," the Co Waterford trainer said yesterday. "The horse is entered in the World Hurdle too but the Champion is the aim."

Festival clues won't be plentiful at Fairyhouse but there will still be some interest in Dermot Weld's former Group Three winner Bob's Pride who tries, weather permitting, to make it third time lucky over jumps in the conditions hurdle. Bobs Pride remains a 40 to 1 shot in some lists for the Triumph Hurdle but has not overly impressed up to now at the winter game. However he should strip fitter this time and an impressive win today might yet get him on the plane to Cheltenham.

Weld also looks the trainer to follow in the Beginners Chase where Queen Astrid can banish the memory of a poor run on the course last time out.