Thurles inspection ahead of Kinloch Brae Chase

Thurles will undergo a morning inspection ahead of a potentially mouthwatering clash between Don Cossack and Champagne Fever in the Ladbrokes Ireland Kinloch Brae Chase at Thurles.

The Turf Club announced that there will to be an 8am precautionary inspection ahead of the fixture tomorrow due to an unsettled weather forecast.

The course is currently raceable with the ground described as soft, soft to heavy in places.

If the meeting does ahead, it will be good news for jockey Bryan Cooper, who will be back on board Don Cossack for the race.

A suspended Cooper was forced to watch on from the sidelines as Brian O'Connell steered Gordon Elliott's star chaser to victory in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase in early December, but will be in the plate tomorrow.

Gigginstown House Stud's retained rider admits Don Cossack has plenty on his plate in the Grade Two contest, with Willie Mullins bringing Champagne Fever back in trip after he failed to get home in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on St Stephen's Day.

"It will be no walk in the park with Champagne Fever in there. It should be a good race between the two of them," said Cooper ahead of the announcement of the inspection.

"It will be great if he won, but it wouldn't be the end of the world if he finished second to Champagne Fever either" - Bryan Cooper

"Our horse is in good form and we're looking forward to getting him back on the track. I just hope the weather is good to us and the meeting goes ahead.

"I didn't ride him in Punchestown, but he didn't surprise me that day. I know a lot of people were surprised how well he did it, but I thought going there he had a serious chance and he was very good."

Immediately after his Punchestown success Elliott suggested his charge might not run again until the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, but Cooper feels it is the right call to give him more match practice ahead of his trip across the Irish Sea.

He said: "It won't do him any harm to have one more run [before Cheltenham]. It's a long gap between the John Durkan and the Festival and hopefully the run tomorrow will stand to him.

"It will be great if he won, but it wouldn't be the end of the world if he finished second to Champagne Fever either."

Mullins is keeping his fingers crossed Champagne Fever can bounce back to form a little under three weeks after his Kempton exertions.

He said: "He had a hard enough race at Kempton, but he seems well.

"He's not well-in at the weights tomorrow, but we said we'd let him take his chance."

Noel Meade saddles Texas Jack, last seen finishing fourth behind Don Cossack at Punchestown.

Stephen Mahon's Smokey Joe Joe, who has a mountain to climb on official ratings, completes a four-runner field in one the meeting's two Grade Two races.

In the 3.15, the exciting Vroum Vroum Mag goes in the Leading Light Coolmore National Hunt Sires European Breeders Fund Mares Novice Chase.

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