Nolan Eyeing Etoile Return

Accordion Etoile could run at both Fairyhouse and Punchestown next month as long as ground conditions are suitable.

Trainer Paul Nolan reports the eight-year-old in fine shape even though he has not run since winning the Grade One Swordlestown Cup Novice Chase at the Punchestown Festival last April.

He is targeting the Tattersalls Ireland (Dan Moore Memorial) Handicap Chase at Fairyhouse's Easter Festival on April 10 first followed by a return trip to Punchestown two weeks later.

'He's fine and hopefully we'll soon get him back on the track and I'd love to run him at the Punchestown Festival,' said the County Wexford-based handler.

'There's the Dan Moore Handicap Chase in Fairyhouse first where he would carry top weight of 12st, but it depends on the ground.

'If it's too damp, he'll have a racecourse gallop to get him ready.'

Nolan revealed that Accordion Etoile's absence from the track was due to a combination of things.

'We haven't had a lot of problems with Accordion Etoile,' Nolan continued.

'He was just slightly lame on the shoulder and we decided we would get him back on the track earlier in the season but he was slightly lame again so we decided rather than turn it into a chronic problem, we would give him a proper break.

'When we did have him back, the way the ground was looking for Cheltenham there seemed to be no point in running him on ground that was not going to be right for him.

'As it turned out the ground wasn't too bad in Cheltenham but it was probably on the dead side for him. We made up our minds before the meeting that the ground was not going to be right.

'A lot of people were surprised the way the ground did dry out at Cheltenham but I still thought it was going to be on the dead side for him to perform to the best of his ability in the Queen Mother Champion Chase against horses like Voy Por Ustedes.

'He's about a stone and a half worse horse on that ground.'

(C) PA Sport