Eye-catching Irish entries in Britain There are several notable Irish entries in Britain this week including John McConnell's Intense Approach in the Grade 2 Coral Dovecote Novices' Hurdle at Kempton on Saturday. The Jack Hobbs gelding fell on his sole start over flights at Wexford in November, but McConnell has high hopes for the double-bumper winner. Speaking in Dundalk last week, he said: "The Dovecote in Kempton is a possibility or the Premier Hurdle in Kelso, if we want to go to Cheltenham. "He wasn't right the day he ran in Wexford and his work has been very good. He has got a lot of ability but the plans are still up in the air over whether we will keep him a novice next year. "There's still a lot of fun to be had with him." Intense Approach holds entries in the Supreme and the Baring Bingham at the Cheltenham Festival. Stuart Crawford's Ballycoose made a successful debut over fences in Ayr last month and has an engagement in an extended 2m4f handicap chase at Newcastle on Saturday. Jack Davison has been among the winners in Dundalk recently and his 104-rated Thunderbear has top-weight in the entries for the Listed BetUK Hever Sprint Stakes at Southwell on Saturday. This four-year-old gelding would be making his return to action having been off since finishing unplaced in Listed class at Naas in October. Prior to that, he took the honours in a Group 3 at Newbury in September. Kevin Coleman has a decent strike rate when he send runners across the Irish Sea and he has Benavente entered for an extended mile handicap on the same card at Southwell.
