Nolan Hangs Fire On Galway Plans

Paul Nolan will wait until 'much nearer the race' before making a decision on whether Champion Hurdle fourth Accordion Etoile will take his chance in Thursday week´s Guinness Galway Hurdle.

Should he line-up for the Grade One handicap, the six-year-old´s presence at the top of weights would allow his stablemate and hot favourite Cloone River to race off the same mark as 12 months ago, when he scored under 10st 7lb.

'We are going to hold out as there are certain things that we need to look at,' said Nolan today. 'It will depend on the ground and the weather.

'It does look like being good ground but you never know with Galway, as when it rains there it comes in absolute torrents.

'They will both be declared at the five-day stage and we will wait until next week, until much nearer the race before making a decision.'

Accordion Etoile was a rising star of the Irish hurdling division last term and powered up the Cheltenham hill in November to run out an impressive three-length winner of the Greatwood Hurdle.

'We have still to make a decision on the long-term plans for both of them,' Nolan continued.

'There are four or five top hurdlers in Ireland and I would want to see what they are going to be doing before I make plans for Accordion Etoile.

'Regardless of what we do, he will have a light campaign over here during the summer before having a break. After that, he will be campaigned in England during the run-up to Cheltenham, but I honestly don´t know if that will be over fences or hurdles.'

Cloone River took to fences like a duck to water following his Galway Hurdle win, bolting up in two lesser events before being ruled out of the Irish Independent Arkle due to injury.

'Cloone River will probably go back over fences and although it is a long way off, the Queen Mother could be a possibility as he has the class. But Galway is the first target,' added Nolan.

'He seems to have fully recovered from his injury and hopefully that will be the worst he gets.

'He is a nine-year-old so you are probably only looking at two more competitive years with him, but his joints all seem fine so he will hopefully keep going.

'It´s just a shame that the one serious injury he had in his life came at a time when he was going for one of the most important races in his life.'

? PA Sport