Options still open for Malt Gem Trainer Mary Hallahan will soon make a decision as to whether impressive Gowran scorer Malt Gem heads towards the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown or goes back to the scene of his eyecatching victory for the Goffs Thyestes Chase in January. The assessor moved him up almost a stone for that comeback win on November 21, but a new mark of 131 does not totally guarantee the seven-year-old a run in the richly-endowed Paddy Power Handicap on December 27. The Germany gelding is a general 25-1 shot for the three-miler and is currently number 44 in the entries. Twenty eight is the usual field size. "The plan at the start of the year was to try and aim him at the Thyestes, but the Paddy Power is still an option," said County Cork-based Hallahan. "There's obviously a lot of prize-money on offer at Leopardstown but if he ran there and ran well he'd have more weight in the Thyestes, so it'd be hard to have the best of both worlds. "It'll be early next week after the forfeit stage that we'll decide. The weather forecast will be a consideration, too, as it would have to be soft enough for him. It'll all be discussed over the weekend. "Leopardstown can dry out so quick and we need to keep that in mind. He's never been around there before, either, while he's won twice at Gowran. He was also placed there over hurdles. "You'd wonder if he's quite experienced enough as well, for that type of a race." One of the Macroom-based handler's inmates that is due to take part at Leopardstown is the progressive Fr Humphrey, who will be bidding for a hat-trick. "The plan is Leopardstown with him. The opportunity chase on the Sunday or Monday is the only race there for him really," she explained. "He actually prefers nice ground. The ground is crazy heavy everywhere at the moment so I'd suppose Leopardstown is really his only hope at the moment. "He's improved a lot. He had a breathing operation after a run at Fairyhouse back in January. He looks a different horse and he really stays."
