Voler to skip Cheltenham

Voler La Vedette will not run in the David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, regardless of what happens in Sunday's Ladbrokes.com Boyne Hurdle at Navan.

Colm Murphy's seven-year-old is prominent in the betting for the March 15 contest, but her trainer is instead eyeing up a trip to the Punchestown Festival in May.

Murphy said: "We've decided not to go to Cheltenham with her this time. She got a little bit revved-up over there last year, so we'll stay at home and I'd imagine she'll end up at Punchestown."

Voler La Vedette won as she liked on her seasonal reappearance at Punchestown in October but has since found life tougher against the likes of Solwhit and Hurricane Fly.

She steps down in class, but back up in trip, this weekend, and Murphy expects a good run.

"It's a step up to two miles and five (furlongs) but hopefully she'll handle it all right and she won't mind the heavy ground," said Murphy.

"She seemed to stay two and a half miles well in the Hatton's Grace and, if she runs like that, she should go well on Sunday."

Perhaps the biggest rival to Voler La Vedette is the Paul Nolan-trained Shinrock Paddy.

The seven-year-old gelding won in style on his latest appearance at Naas, but Nolan is wary of the threat posed by Murphy's mare.

"The trip looks ideal for him and he's won on the track before," said Nolan.

"On ratings you'd have to say Voler La Vedette will take a lot of beating and she looked to run a very good race in the Hatton's Grace at Fairyhouse.

"A repeat of that performance would see her very hard to beat, but our fellow is in good form and very rarely runs a bad race. The ground won't be an issue for him, either."