Confidence high in UK's Hennessy challenge

Connections of the British-trained pair The Listener and Money Trix remain confident of a big run in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown tomorrow despite a delay of six days to the Grade 1 event.

Both horses have been stabled in Ireland since the original meeting was postponed last Sunday due to a waterlogged track.

The Listener was off the track for nearly 14 months before a promising return here after Christmas, and Andrew McNamara will again be in the saddle on the veteran 12-year-old.

He said: "I was delighted by his run in the Lexus where he was quite extravagant in his jumping, even by his standards. To get to the last upsides on his first time on a racecourse after that time off and at his age was a great effort.

"He was entitled to have a bit of a blow and I'm hoping that it's not his age catching up with him, but all the signs are that he still has the ability there.

"The ground at Leopardstown will probably stay quite testing which will suit him and this will be his eighth run there. He loves the course as it is a lovely big, galloping track and he gallops and jumps.

"Beef Or Salmon won it as an 11-year-old so it can happen and look what Monet's Garden did as a 12-year-old. The Listener is a Roselier the same as Monet's Garden so that gives me a bit of heart and he doesn't look an old horse and he goes to Ireland with every chance."

Nicky Richards is confident an extra week in Ireland will not have harmed Money Trix's chance in the "Hennessy".

Cumbria based trainer Nicky Richards believes Money Trix is also ready to do himself justice.

"The lad who is over in Ireland with the horse seems very happy with him and he says he's eating well and has settled in well," said Richards.

"He's staying up on the Curragh and hopefully the extra week won't have hindered him greatly. The ground should suit him and if everything goes right for him I'm quite sure he'll run a very big race, there's no doubt about that."

If anything the dashing grey faces an easier task than he would have done last weekend, with the original favourite Pride Of Dulcote and last year's runner-up Cooldine not lining up now.

"The Paul Nicholls horse doesn't run this week obviously, but there are a lot of good horses still in the race and our lad is one of them," Richards continued.

"I hope it goes well for everybody and I think my horse will be right there in the shake-up."