Gavin Cromwell’s Flooring Porter is backed to benefit from a return to a left-handed track when he lines up for the Neville Hotels Novice Chase at Leopardstown on Friday.
The eight-year-old is twice the winner of the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and started his chasing career earlier this season.
His debut over fences was a success at Cheltenham in October, where he beat Nigel Twiston-Davies’ Broadway Boy by two and half lengths to land a novice chase over three miles and half a furlong.
His next outing came at Punchestown in the Florida Pearl, where he drifted left around the right-handed track and was eventually inconvenienced by a loose horse in finishing third.
Cromwell expects Flooring Porter to be happier back on a left-handed track and is happy to put a line through that last run.
“He’s back going left-handed, he’s very well,” the trainer said.
“The ground is going to be very testing, but he should be fine on it and I’m looking forward to it. It was just one of the those races (Punchestown) to put a line through and forget about going into it.”
Meanwhile Broadway Boy has done a great deal to boost the form of his and Flooring Porter’s earlier encounter, winning twice more back at Cheltenham with two impressive performances.
Cromwell said of those runs: “I was glad to see him do so well, it makes it interesting for our horse.”
A key rival at Leopardstown will be the Emmet Mullins-trained Corbetts Cross, another horse with two chasing runs under his belt this term.
Third on debut at Naas behind Grangeclare West and Heart Wood, the chestnut was then the winner of a competitive beginners’ chase at Fairyhouse when beating Three Card Brag to get off to mark over the larger obstacles.
The six-year-old now steps up in trip and grade under Mark Walsh in the silks of owner JP McManus.
Frank Berry, racing manager to McManus, said: “He’s in good form and Emmet’s happy with him. He’s stepping up to three miles over fences and we hope that will suit him.
“He’ll have learnt a lot from that last run and hopefully will have come forward for it, we’re looking forward to seeing him run.”
The Willie Mullins-trained Grangeclare West comes into the race in winning form having not run since the Naas contest in which he beat Corbetts Cross.
Favori De Champdou, winner of the Florida Pearl, will represent Gordon Elliott and Noel Meade runs Flanking Maneuver in the same silks of Gigginstown House Stud.
The field is completed by Tullyhogue Fort, a seven-year-old who has been busy all through the summer and into the new season.
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