• Champion or World Hurdles under consideration
• Thyestes winner On His Own on Grand National trail
Zaidpour has the option of going over two or three miles at the Cheltenham Festival after getting the better of Voler La Vedette under a fine tactical ride from Ruby Walsh in the Grade Two Galmoy Hurdle at Gowran Park.
Walsh went into the race with an open mind as to whether to go from the front or track his main rival, but when none of his rivals were keen to go on, he was able to set pedestrian early fractions from the front which saw Voler la Vedette take a keener grip of the bridle than her jockey would have preferred.
Although headed with a circuit to go by outsider Whatuthink with a circuit to go, Zaidpour was back in front by the third-last hurdle and Walsh kept enough up his sleeve to deny the persistent challenge of the favourite by a length.
Held in high regard by connections last season, his campaign ended in disappointment last with three consecutive Grade One defeats. However, there remains time for Zaidpour to fulfil his potential and the trainer Willie Mullins will now send the horse for either the Champion Hurdle or the World Hurdle at Cheltenham.
"I'd given her [Voler La Vedette] a lead the last twice and she swept past and I thought she might do the same again but it was clear at the start no one was going to make it, so I sauntered along in front," said Walsh. "We really didn't go at much pace at all. He just loves soft ground - you couldn't have it soft enough for him."
Sadly for Walsh his hopes that he might go on to claim one of the few big Irish races to have so far eluded him, the Goffs Thyestes Chase, were scuppered, when once again he ended up on board the wrong horse.
The trainer Willie Mullins, winning the contest for the fourth time, saddled four in the race but rather than 10-1 winner On His Own, Walsh partnered the pulled-up joint-favourite Shakervilz.
On His Own, partnered by David Casey, was giving owner Graham Wylie another high-profile success from the half-dozen horses he transferred to Mullins's care after the former trainer Howard Johnson was banned from the sport last year.
"We thought we might have a sneaky chance of winning the Paddy Power Chase with him [last time out], but he missed the break although he was still travelling well enough when he was brought down two out," said the winning trainer.
"Today it was Ruby who missed the break while he [On His Own] was the only fellow who was up there, jumping, and he's a big strong horse who enjoyed that.
"Asking Ruby to get down to that weight is not something you want to do on cold days like this. I was happy enough that he was riding Shakervilz and so was he, I think. But it's good for David, who gets what's left. He's done amazingly well riding horses that others have turned down in the past, including lots of winners for me."
Casey partnered Hedgehunter to win this race for Mullins in 2004, before the horse took the Grand National the following year, and Aintree could also be the target for On His Own.
"He's certainly the right sort of horse for it and he'll be entered," said Mullins.
