Former Irish-trained American jumper Rawnaq appears increasingly likely to be prepared for a tilt at the World Hurdle at next year's Cheltenham Festival.
Trained in Ireland by first Robbie Hennessy and then Matthew Smith, the nine-year-old won six races for the latter, including the Grade Two Flyingbolt Novice Chase at Navan.
He was also placed over hurdles and fences at Cheltenham before being sold to race on the other side of the Atlantic last summer.
Rawnaq has proved a shrewd acquisition by Irish-born trainer Cyril Murphy and his principal owner Irvin Naylor, placing behind stable companion and former Nicky Henderson inmate Dawalan on a couple of occasions before beating the high-profile Willie Mullins-trained pair of Shaneshill and Nichols Canyon in the Grade One Calvin Houghland Iroquois Hurdle in Nashville in May.
That victory made him eligible for a $500,000 bonus if he can complete the Brown Advisory Iroquois Cheltenham Challenge by going on to win the World Hurdle at Prestbury Park next March.
Murphy admits the mission will be a challenge logistically, but connections are keen to give it a go.
"He's coming along all the time. There was nothing for him after his last run so we gave him a quiet six weeks, then started trotting him and he did his first canter earlier this week," said the trainer.
"We'll take things steady with him for a while and the plan is to give him his first run back in New Jersey in October, in a race he finished third in last year - the Grand National Hurdle at Far Hills.
"We'll see where we go after that, but the owner is keen to go to Cheltenham, so that's what we'll try to do if we can.
"It is going to be very difficult for us as the last opportunity to race him over here is on the third Saturday in November and then he can't run again until the last weekend in March, which is after the Festival."
Due to the lack of opportunities at home during the winter, Murphy - who worked in British racing for over a decade before making the move to America - has raised the possibility of giving Rawnaq a prep run in Britain prior to his Festival assignment.
He said: "There are one or two different avenues we could go down - we could bring him over maybe a month or five weeks before the Festival and there might be a race we can run him in somewhere.
"I left school when I was 17 and went to the racing school in Newmarket.
"I spent four years with Sir Mark Prescott and then moved down to the West Country and had four years with Bill Turner.
"I also had four years with Nicky Henderson and had 200 rides over jumps altogether and rode 13 winners.
"I came to ride in America in 2000 or 2001 and had seven and a half years riding.
"I was always interested in training, so I took out my licence seven years ago and for the last three years I've been training principally for Rawnaq's owner and things are going well.
"We're based around an hour north of Washington DC. Jump racing predominantly takes place on the east coast over here.
"We know a few people in Britain and you'd like to think we haven't burnt all our bridges if we do decide to come over early!"
Asked what it would mean to him to saddle a runner at Cheltenham, Murphy added: "It's a long shot, but it's great to have the possibility.
"Everyone strives to compete with the best and when it comes to National Hunt racing, Cheltenham is the pinnacle.
"Age-wise, I think the horse is a good age to go and he seems to be in the form of his life.
"He finished third at the Festival before and was third in a Greatwood Hurdle before that, so we have no worries about the track.
"Jump racing over here is usually regarded as sub-par, but with Shaneshill and Nichols Canyon coming over, it gives us something to go on and I think he showed the last day he wouldn't be out of place down at the start at Cheltenham, anyway.
"From what you read in the papers, this might not be a bad year to have a go at it, with Thistlecrack apparently going chasing."
