News on Zaidpour Impressive French recruit Zaidpour is not a definite starter in the Bar One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse on Sunday, according to his trainer Willie Mullins. A half-brother to the Triumph Hurdle winner Zaynar, the four-year-old has pleased his handler since a Punchestown win but he says that plans are not set in stone. "I haven't fully made up my mind whether to run him (at Fairyhouse) yet," Mullins told sportinglife.com. "We'll see how he is before Sunday and then make our mind up." "He won very nicely at Punchestown. However this race might just come a bit too soon and there's another suitable race for him in a couple of weeks time (Navan Novice Hurdle) which might just fit him better." The race on Sunday is over a shorter trip than the gelding faced on his UK debut but this isn't something that has his trainer unduly concerned. "I don't think the drop to two miles will be any worry - he won over a mile in France and he's bred to get two and a half miles, which he won over last time. "But there are very few horses in this race who could win over a mile - which he has proven he can. We would have to hope that his jumping would hold up at the speed they'd be going over a half-mile shorter trip," he added. The horse is set to step into Grade One company for the first time and his trainer is not getting carried away with him just yet. "He shows me a nice bit at home and he confirmed that promise on his racecourse debut for me. "We're hoping that he can improve on that as he's going to be meeting a better class of horses as he moves forward. We're just hoping that he can keep on improving."
