RACING: Sackville will not run in Saturday's Pillar Chase at Cheltenham but will instead appear over hurdles at Gowran Park tomorrow.
Trainer Frances Crowley came down in favour of the home event yesterday, declaring the move was made with the Cheltenham Gold Cup in mind.
Sackville is the shortest priced Irish horse for steeplechasing's blue riband but tomorrow will be running for a much smaller pot in the three-mile Hacketts Fighting Blindness Hurdle.
"We are trying to do the right thing for the horse. We want to run in the Hennessy as well and a little run over hurdles at Gowran will be better for that compared to a hard race at Cheltenham," Crowley said.
She added: "We would have loved to have gone to Cheltenham. It would have been great experience and I think he would have run well but we are looking ahead to the Gold Cup in March and travelling over there and back now might take a lot out of him."
Sackville hasn't run since finishing third to Florida Pearl and Native Upmanship in the Durkan and missed out on an intended start in the Ericsson over Christmas because of a runny nose.
"He is well now again. His blood tests are good and he is definitely going the right way," Crowley reported.
The news comes on the back of reports that the French-trained star, First Gold, is set to have his own Cheltenham warm-up in next month's Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown too.
The JP McManus-owned star has not run since failing to follow up his King George VI Chase victory of last season at Kempton a month ago.
However, First Gold is now reported to be in good form and connections have picked out a pre-festival clash with the triple Hennessy winner, Florida Pearl, Sackville and the rest of the best of Irish chasers for a next start.
Trainer Francois Doumen said: "We are seriously looking at the race as our first option. We are looking for softer ground and as the horse belongs to Mr McManus he will be happy to see him running there.
"For dates it is quite ideal timing to prepare him for the Gold Cup and having discussed the ideal with Mr McManus and his team, we all fancy going to Leopardstown."
Doumen has never had a runner over jumps in Ireland before and his last runner in this country was Double Bed in the 1986 Champion Stakes at the Phoenix Park.
One prominent name that will be missing from this weekend's Leopardstown card will be the former champion jockey Barry Geraghty who will miss the Moscow Flyer ride in the Baileys Arkle Cup.
Geraghty faces three weeks on the sidelines after picking up an injury at Fairyhouse on Sunday and Paul Moloney will step in for the ride on Moscow Flyer.
Richard Johnson has beengiven the go-ahead to return to action tomorrow after three months on the sidelines. And he is already looking forward to being reunited with his 2000 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Looks Like Trouble, who has made his own successful return from injury.
