HORSE RACING: The Triumph Hurdle winner Scolardy is being targeted at Newbury's Tote Gold Trophy in eight days as Willie Mullins prepares to give his big Cheltenham Festival hopes their final warm-up races.
The Navan winner Jouer D'Estruval, who is as low as 11 to 1 second favourite in some books for the Supreme Novices', will run next in the Deloitte & Touche at Leopardstown.
The Co Carlow trainer also reported yesterday that the Arkle Trophy second favourite Adamant Approach is scheduled for the festival at Navan in two weeks.
However, Scolardy, a runaway Triumph winner last season who hasn't yet raced this term, is unlikely to make the Smurfit Champion Hurdle field.
"It would be hard to see him right enough for that," said Mullins whose original plan to run Scolardy in last Sunday's AIG had to be scrapped. "He just wasn't ready for a run the other day but we will try to run him the weekend after this in the Tote Gold Trophy. I would say his chances of making it are 50-50 but it is his most likely option," he added.
Mullins also had news of his stable star Florida Pearl who he said is most unlikely to take up his Queen Mother Champion Chase entry. Instead the Gold Cup remains the horse's festival aim but Florida Pearl may not have a run before Cheltenham if the ground conditions turn too testing.
"He is going alright and worked a couple of times this week. He could go in the Hennessy or the Ritz at Ascot or he might not run at all before Cheltenham.
"We will make a decision later about the Hennessy on Sunday week but the Champion Chase is unlikely because he wasn't able to run in any of the prep races for it," Mullins said.
Moscow Flyer remains on course to run in Sunday's Byrne Group Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown. Just seven entries remain in the two-mile contest and the Champion Chase favourite will have the Gold Cup runner-up Commanche Court in opposition.
Emotional Moment was yesterday the subject of the biggest industry-wide ante-post gamble of the jumps season so far when heavily backed for the Tote Gold Trophy. Coral were forced to slash the odds of Tom Taaffe's charge from 16 to 1 to 12 to 1 before trimming him further to 8 to 1.
