[NoChanceToDance]

From RP...

by Tony O'Hehir


KICKING KING remains on course to make his comeback this month but the 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner is set to return in the Normans Grove Chase at Fairyhouse and not at Thurles as originally planned.

Tom Taaffe had nominated the Kinloch Brae Chase at Thurles on January 17 for Kicking King's return, but the ten-year-old, sidelined since winning his second King George VI Chase in December 2005, will now make his comeback over 2m at Fairyhouse three days later.

Taaffe said: “Everything has gone to plan, and if it continues to do so he will run in the Normans Grove. Fairyhouse is a bigger, more galloping track than Thurles and should suit him better.”

The opposition to Kicking King, who is 25-1 for the Gold Cup with sponsors Totesport, at Fairyhouse could include Nickname, who was having his first run of the season when he finished second to Mansony in the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase at Leopardstown on Thursday.
Nickname's trainer Martin Brassil said on Monday: “He came out of Leopardstown in good form. The ground will dictate where he runs, but we'll be looking at the Normans Grove or the Victor Chandler at Ascot. I might even go over to walk the course at Ascot before deciding.”

John Carrsaid on Monday he could take Champion Hurdle winner Sublimity to run on the all-weather at Dundalk before his repeat bid at Cheltenham.

The trainer said: “The plan is still to run in the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle – it might be a bit of a rush but that's where we want to take him.

“I heard Noel Meade mention he might take Harchibald to Dundalk, though, and it's certainly an option if we found a suitable race. The track doesn't open again until the end of February, so it would be after the AIG. If we needed to, we have the option of putting him spot-on for the Champion there.”