RACING: The Turf Club are set to deal with just one of the eight cases in the morphine doping controversy when the Appeals and Referrals Committee meet this afternoon.
Adjournments are being sought for the other seven cases, and while they are likely to be given there is no indication as to when the hearings will now be heard.
The Turf Club chief executive, Denis Egan, said yesterday: "We have gone to a lot of trouble to set the hearings up as quickly as possible and it will be up to the committee to decide if the seven cases will be adjourned.
"The connections confirmed last Thursday or Friday that they would be available, but tomorrow there will be requests for adjournments, mostly on a legal basis."
It is the latest twist to a saga that has been of huge concern in Britain and Ireland for almost two months, with morphine traces found in feed used in both countries.
There was a positive weather bulletin from Leopardstown yesterday ahead of Sunday's Pierse Hurdle meeting.
The track's racing manager, Tom Burke, said: "We're pretty confident on the weather front. In fact at this stage I would say we will be very unlucky to fall foul.
"Frost is forecast every night up to Sunday but we are being told the east coast should fare reasonably well. Temperatures will reach five degrees during the daytime so it looks pretty good. And it is forecast to get milder at some stage on Sunday. At the moment it is perfectly raceable here."
The most significant move in the ante-post betting market for the Pierse yesterday was the Jessica Harrington-trained Evening Scent moving in a point to 11 to 1 fourth favourite. It followed confirmation Barry Geraghty will ride the mare who ran second to Some Buzz at Leopardstown over Christmas.
Norman Williamson will partner the joint second-favourite Emotional Moment, who Geraghty had ridden to victory at Navan in mid-December.
Williamson rode Master Tribe to a surprise victory in 1997 when the race was known as the Ladbroke, but trainer Tom Taaffe has an impeccable race record as jockey. Taaffe won the race four times in six years in the 1980s, all on Arthur Moore-trained horses. Moore has the 7 to 1 favourite for Sunday's big race, Janidou.
Looking further ahead, Moore confirmed yesterday that his star chaser Native Upmanship is likely to have his next start in the Kinloch Brae Chase at Thurles in February.
Native Upmanship, who failed to stay in the King George on St Stephen's Day, is one of the 20 entries for the AIG Champion Hurdle in 17 days, but is unlikely to revert to the smaller obstacles.
All the Pierse Hurdle contenders are anxiously awaiting news on whether the topweight, Glens Music, runs, but trainer Al O'Connell has said Saturday's Proudstown Handicap Hurdle at Navan is an alternative engagement for his horse.
However, the second topweight, Holy Orders, has been confirmed a likely Pierse runner.
Paddy Power bet: 7 Janidou, 10 Emotional Moment & Whistling Dixie, 11 Evening Scent, 12 Some Buzz, 14 Holy Orders, Camden Tanner, Anxious Moments, Atlantic Rhapsody, 16 Bar.
