Ground key for Won In The Dark County Kildare trainer Sabrina Harty is keeping one eye on the weather as she prepares Won In The Dark for a tilt at the #200,000 Grade Two Boylesports.com International at Cheltenham on Saturday. The four-year-old, third in last season's Triumph Hurdle, could face esteemed opposition, with three of the first four horses in the betting for the 2009 Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle all entered. Harty revealed today: "The Boylesports.com International is an option for Won In The Dark and if it was good ground I would say he would go there. We are trying to get as good ground as we can for him, so we entered him and we will see what happens during the week. If it comes up more good than soft we will let him take his chance. He really needs nice ground. "He was lucky enough to have good ground almost every time he ran last season, even at Christmas time, but it has been hard to come by this season. The ground has been soft here in Ireland for a good while." Won In The Dark was a top-class juvenile hurdler last season. The Montjeu gelding won the Grade One Durkan New Homes Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown last Christmas as well as the Grade One Champion 4-Y-O Hurdle at Punchestown in April. He started off this season in the Grade One Maplewood Developments Hurdle at Punchestown and was not disgraced to finish fourth behind Hardy Eustace on unsuitably heavy going. Harty continued: "Won In The Dark is a smart little horse; he is genuine and loves to gallop away. He needs the good ground because it is hard enough as a four-year-old against these nice horses, especially if the ground is against him. "He is in great form and ran well here on really heavy ground in November. That was his first attempt against the older horses and he was only five lengths off Jered in the end. Davy (Russell) was not hard on him and we are happy with him." Won In The Dark could be joined in the line-up by fellow Irish raider Solwhit. The Charles Byrnes-trained four-year-old, has won three of his four starts over hurdles, most recently when a cosy three quarters of a length victor of a competitive two-mile handicap hurdle at Fairyhouse on November 29th. Byrnes said: "We will monitor the situation and make a decision closer to the day. As things stand, he has a lot to make up on a few of those horses. If a few come out we may let him take his chance. "The handicapper put him up a stone for his last win, so he will find it impossible in handicaps now. He has no choice but to step up in grade. There is good prize money on offer in the Boylesports.com International so we will consider it. "The ground does not make much difference to him. My horse is rated 141 while Katchit is rated 166. We have a long way to go before we get to that level but he is only a four-year-old and he is a nice horse. If we do run him in the Boylesports.com International, we will know what we are dealing with."
