Racing:Quatre Heures has not raced in seven months but that hasn't stopped him continuing to tumble down the betting for Leopardstown's Pierse Hurdle and the Willie Mullins-trained horse is now challenging the favourite Kendor Dine in some ante-post lists for Sunday's feature race.
The five-year-old opened as high as 12 to 1 with some bookmakers yesterday morning but Paddy Power reported continuous support for Quatre Heures who has been cut to 7 to 1 second favourite.
"There has been sustained support for Quatre Heures since betting began and our heavy liabilities on the horse have been added to again," a Powers spokesman said.
"Along with Kendor Dine, he is our big loser."
Quatre Heures won the champion four-year-old Grade One at the Punchestown Festival last April but hasn't seen any action since the second of two unsuccessful runs in Paris last summer.
The second of them, on June 17th, saw him manage only sixth in the Grade One Prix Alain du Breil at Auteuil.
His absence since then has proved to be no problem for ante-post punters who appear to have latched on to the horse for the first major handicap prize of 2007.
Quatre Heures is one of four likely starters in the €130,000 race from the Willie Mullins yard and although there has been some speculation that Ruby Walsh will be on board the gambled on horse, nothing has been confirmed.
"No decision has been made about who will ride what," Mullins said yesterday. "I won't be making any arrangements until declaration time on Friday."
Mullins also intends to start his veteran 2002 Pierse winner Adamant Approach as well as Orge D'ete and the other five-year-old, Mister Hight.
Timmy Murphy has been booked for the Pierse ride on View Mount Prince whose trainer Pat Hughes will be hoping to add to past race victories with Grinkov (2001) and Mantles Prince (2000.)
"Philip Carberry is on one of Arthur Moore's (Well Mounted) so Timmy rides," Hughes said yesterday.
"My horse has won three and gone up 30lb. He will get the two miles at Leopardstown as he is really a two-and-a-half-mile horse and I think he has a lovely weight at 10-6."
Murphy was out of luck in last year's Pierse when he rode the favourite Victram who he had to pull up before the last flight.
The Willie Mullins-trained Our Ben is one of 47 entries for another big handicap pot at the end of the month, the Ellen Construction Thyestes Chase, at Gowran Park in two weeks time.
Also entered are the Ted Walsh-trained pair of Jack High and Southern Vic while Michael Hickey, a two-time winner in 1999 and 2001 with Bob Treacy, is likely to rely on the Paddy Power runner-up Ballistraw.
In other news, Brave Inca is reported to be on course for another tilt at the AIG Irish Champion Hurdle which he won last year en route to a memorable success at Cheltenham.
"He's super, in really good order since Leopardstown," said his trainer Colm Murphy yesterday.
"So far, it's so good for the AIG."
Murphy also had a relatively upbeat report on his other Champion Hurdle contender Feathard Lady who is as low as 12 to 1 for Cheltenham despite not having run in over a year.
"It's going well with her - she's back on track you might say. She is in full work but we won't know where we stand until the end of the month and whether or not we get a run into her before Cheltenham," he said of the mare who is unbeaten in seven starts.
"We won't be making a plan until the end of January. She's going well enough, and luckily she doesn't need much work," he added.
BETTING: (Paddy Power): 6 Kendor Dine, 7 Quatre Heures, 8 Lenrey and View Mount Prince, 12 Victram, Aitmatov, Cadogan and Well Mounted, 14 Orbit O'Gold, Streetshavenoname and Mister Hight, 16 bar.
