Gold Cup hero will not be in action this weekend

Jessica Harrington is praying the rain arrives soon as she attempts to bring Sizing John back to the track ahead of a possible bid to regain his crown in the Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The nine-year-old was the dominant force in the division a couple of years ago, winning the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown and the Punchestown Gold Cup either side of claiming Festival glory in the blue riband at Prestbury Park.

However, a combination of injuries and unsuitable underfoot conditions have restricted Sizing John to just two outings twice since and he has not been seen on a racecourse since disappointing at Leopardstown in December 2017.

He has missed a whole host of engagements already this season due to the prevailing quick ground and Harrington made an early decision to pull the plug on a planned outing at this weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival, in either the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase or the Unibet Irish Gold Cup.

“We decided against going to Leopardstown in the end. The forecasters are saying there might be some rain coming, but I’m not sure I believe them – it’s as dry as a bone here at the moment,” said the Moone-based trainer.

“I thought if I left him in either race at the forfeit stage on Tuesday I’d only have been tempted to run him. I said we’d decide on Tuesday and that was decision made.

“I really don’t know where we’ll go now. It will all come down to the weather and the ground.

“It’s not that I want soft ground, I just want to see the word ‘soft’ in the going description.”