Although watering has begun at Cheltenham ahead of next week's festival, Curragh trainer Sandra Hughes is unconcerned about the prospect of quicker ground for her major Ladbrokes World Hurdle hope Lieutenant Colonel.
The dual-Grade One winner is among 22 confirmations remaining in Thursday's highlight, along with other Irish hopes such as Dedigout, Monksland and Jetson. Annie Power is among six Willie Mullins entries left in but Tuesday's OLBH Hurdle appears to be her festival target.
Lieutenant Colonel ran sixth to Faugheen in last year’s Neptune at Cheltenham but has been something of a revelation in his last two starts, winning the Hatton’s Grace at Fairyhouse, and again beating Jetson over three miles on soft ground at Leopardstown over Christmas.
Conditions look like being significantly different next week with Cheltenham’s clerk of the course Simon Claisse reporting that officials will selectively apply up 4mms of irrigation by Sunday morning.
“Lieutenant Colonel ran exceptionally well at Cheltenham last year and based on that I would imagine similar ground could actually help him,” said Hughes who took over at the Osborne Lodge stables following the death of her father, Dessie, in November.
Hughes will also be represented next Thursday by The Tullow Tank in the JLT Novice Chase while Apache Jack is set to run in the RSA on Wednesday.
As expected Foxrock has been supplemented into Thursday’s steeplechase feature, the Ryanair Chase, where the Barry Connell-owned star will take on the warm favourite Don Cossack, owned by the big-race sponsor, Michael O’Leary.
Hidden Cyclone was runner-up to Dynaste in the 2014 Ryanair and will attempt to go one better for trainer John “Shark” Hanlon while Willie Mullins could be represented by Ballycasey.
The champion trainer has also left in both Djakadam and Boston Bob but they appear more likely to take their chances in the following day's Gold Cup while Champagne Fever has the option of appearing in Wednesday's Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown Stud team has confirmed top novice chaser Don Poli will line up in Wednesday’s RSA Chase rather than the four-mile National Hunt Chase. The confirmation indicates Willie Mullins’s other Grade 1 winning novice, Valseur Lido, will line up in the JLT at Cheltenham.
