Connections of Impaire Et Passe and Lossiemouth are both in the dark over whether their stars will run in Saturday's Unibet Hurdle at Cheltenham.
They appeared alongside stablemate Gala Marceau in the six-day entries for the weekend Grade Two contest but Willie Mullins won't decide until close to declaration time whether they run there - or take up alternative engagements.
Speaking on Tuesday's Nick Luck Daily Podcast Anthony Bromley, racing manager to Impaire Et Passe's owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, said: “I don’t know. The plan has been the Dublin Racing Festival for the last couple of weeks but we have the entry for Saturday so you never quite know.
“Willie will leave it to Thursday and we’ll find out Thursday morning I think. I’d been planning to have Daryl (Jacob) at Doncaster on Saturday and I don’t think he’s coming but I don’t know. Normally it’s 9.30 on Thursday morning we find these things out."
As for whether their charge will be stepped up in trip in the spring, Bromley added: “He has the entry in the Stayers’ Hurdle which gives us options but at the moment before we go to next couple of weekends he’s looking like the third best two mile hurdler in Ireland and England and if you are the third best you probably want to roll the dice and try it out in the Champion Hurdle but let’s just see.
“If he gets absolutely stuffed next time and looks to be crying out to go up in trip then we have the option of the Stayers’ Hurdle. The next run will tell us a lot but his next run will be at two miles. Read into that what you like."
Lossiemouth has a host of options in the coming weeks including the Saturday's SBK Yorkshire Rose Mares' Hurdle at Doncaster.
Again Joe Chambers, racing manager to Susannah and Rich Ricci, isn't sure where she'll be heading.
He told the Nick Luck Daily: “I know initially Rich and I were thinking the entry at Doncaster against her own sex and over two miles would probably appeal even more than going to Cheltenham and we were half-thinking we’d be getting the train to Doncaster on Saturday morning but obviously with the defection of Constitution Hill it has probably opened up the Cheltenham race to a few more people.
“It's the usual schtick I’m afraid. All options are open. I haven’t spoken to the trainer other than last week when he told me she’d be entered at Doncaster, Cheltenham, the Quevega Hurdle at Punchestown, Red Mills Hurdle at Gowran and she’s in the two mile hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival and I'd imagine we’ll make a decision on Wednesday evening/Thursday morning.”
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