Jessica Harrington is readying her team towards the pinnacle of the season for all of her horses with the Leopardstown Dublin Festival and Cheltenham Festival in March just right around the corner.
The big one from her stable that every one wants to know what her plan is going forward is Sizing John who made his return to the track at Punchestown on New Year's Day after two years off the track.
Unfortunately for connections it was not the return they would have hoped for with the 2017 Gold Cup winner travelling lovely and looking sure to make a challenge but at the second to last hurdle taking a nasty fall.
Harrington has decided against running him at Thurles on Sunday in the Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase which was a very realistic option in his preparation to head to the Cheltenham festival but now he will wait for the Irish Gold Cup.
(Credit At The Races) Jessica Hrrington said:“Sizing John won’t be going for the Kinloch Brae and will go straight to Leopardstown. He’s good now."
Another big horse from the yard that is set to make his seasonal bow is Cheltenham festival winner Supasundae who will be returning to the track for the first time since May last year in the Irish Champion Hurdle which he won in 2018 and was second term.
“Supasundae goes there as well for the Irish Champion Hurdle. Then with luck I can run him in the Red Mills before going to Cheltenham – get a couple of runs into him, which should be a help.”
The female trainer also spoke about her leading Grand National hope and second in the Aintree feature last season with Magic Of Light who is set to run this weekend at Ascot in the bet365 Mares’ Hurdle.
“Magic Of Light will go to Ascot on Saturday and then she might stay and go to Huntingdon (for a Listed mares’ chase on January 24),” said the handler.