Norman Williamson will ride Ireland's top steeplechaser Florida Pearl against his former mount, Looks Like Trouble, in Saturday week's James Nicholson Champion Chase at Down Royal.
However, Florida Pearl's trainer, Willie Mullins, insisted yesterday that the horse's firstchoice rider remains Ruby Walsh despite Walsh never having ridden the horse in a race.
"Ruby was supposed to ride him last year but broke a leg and Paul Carberry came in and got on very well with the horse. He is Ruby's intended ride again and I hope he will be back on the horse again this season," said Mullins.
The Co Carlow trainer booked Williamson yesterday following weekend confirmation that Paul Carberry, who had been confirmed as the original Down Royal replacement for the injured Walsh, had indeed fractured his left leg in a fall at Fairyhouse on Friday.
Carberry faces up to three months on the sidelines after an operation at Blanchardstown Hospital to insert a steel rod below his left knee. The injury is unrelated to the ligament trouble in the same leg that had kept Carberry out for five weeks before his Fairyhouse return.
"It's a very clean break and the operation was a success," said trainer Noel Meade. "They didn't say how long he would be out but it looks a minimum of three months. He's having a rough time."
Meanwhile, Mullins hopes Williamson will be able to ride Florida Pearl in a home workout at some stage this week.
"Norman had no ride in the race and he was the best jockey available at the moment," Mullins said about the rider who was controversially jocked off Looks Like Trouble just before the horse's Cheltenham Gold Cup triumph.
Mullins sends a strong team westwards to Ballybrit this afternoon, including River Cora in the Irish Independent Handicap Chase. This race is notable for the scheduled reappearance of the 1999 Aintree Grand National hero, Bobbyjo, on whom Philip Carberry replaces his brother Paul.
Fiddlers Tune may have too many guns for both River Cora and Bobbyjo on this course and this ground, but Mullins can still enjoy a successful day courtesy of the Gowran winner, Hasty Native, in the TBD Handicap Hurdle and Charlie Swan's mount, Sophronia, in the novice hurdle.
Philip Fenton's booking for A Friend Of Mine in the bumper appears significant; and Decisive Action looks to have much the strongest credentials for landing the opener.
