Meade hoping Muirhead returns to best Noel Meade is confident Muirhead can bounce back to form in the Red Mills Trial Hurdle at Gowran Park on Saturday. The seven-year-old ran a fine race to finish second to Solwhit on his first outing of the campaign but was beaten at odds-on at Naas last month. "Maybe it was the ground the last day, maybe it was the trip, and maybe I didn't have him as right as I thought," said Meade. "I wasn't worried about the trip beforehand but he came there to win his race and didn't find as much as I thought he would - maybe two miles and three furlongs is too far for him. "I'd be hopeful for tomorrow as he seems in good form and the ground shouldn't be as bad as it was at Naas, but he needs to run well if we're going to think about Cheltenham. "He wasn't beaten far in the Champion Hurdle last year but he has been short of that form so far this season and needs to improve." Muirhead will certainly face a tough test, with Edward O'Grady's Jumbo Rio and Paul Nolan's Noble Prince bringing solid form to the table. Smart novice Luska Lad, trained by 'Shark' Hanlon, Carthalawn and De Valira complete the field.
