Meade Happy With Harchibald

Noel Meade has yet to make a decision on whether Harchibald returns to action in what would be a hot renewal of the Red Mills Trial Hurdle at Gowran on Saturday.

The 2005 Champion Hurdle runner-up has not been seen since disappointing when an odds-on favourite at Tipperary in October, but Meade was happy with a piece of work he did at Navan.

He galloped with stable companion Jazz Messenger, an intended runner at the weekend, although Meade once again stressed Harchibald would not be risked on very soft ground.

'We were very pleased with him. He worked with Jazz Messenger, but the ground was very heavy,' he said.

'I'm very happy with him at the minute, but I still don't know whether he will run on Saturday. I would like to run him, but the ground is so heavy there at the moment.

'It's up in the air whether he will or whether he won't and I won't decide until nearer the race.

'It's raining again at the moment and there is not a lot of point in running him on bottomless ground.

'But, at the same time, because he hasn't run for such a long time the run would do him good, although he has had a couple of spins on the racecourse in the past week and they are bringing him on a good bit.'

(C) PA Sport