The participation of Florida Pearl in Sunday’s John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown is in doubt after the nine-year-old failed to impress in a work-out yesterday.
“At the moment he is still an intended runner with Paul [Carberry] riding but he just didn’t work that well yesterday and it is a worry,” admitted trainer Willie Mullins. “It was very soft out there which might explain it and I will give him another chance before making my mind up. I won’t make a final decision until the last minute. I might even leave him in and see how he is on the day.”
The Punchestown course has seen heavy rainfall over the past few days and Mullins is conscious that the conditions could be very difficult. “We’ve had a lot of rain in the last couple of days and I’m sure it will be soft or heavy on Sunday. But he’s won in the soft before and that won’t bother me,” he added.
Filed by Tom Grealis
