Punchestown on Kalane agenda

Charlie Longsdon is looking at giving Kalane the chance of Grade One success in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Hurdle at Punchestown on May 2.

The lightly-raced six-year-old won the 17-runner EBF and TBA Mares' Final at Newbury last month and could take on the Willie Mullins-trained Annie Power, although both have other options at the meeting.

"Kalane will go to Punchestown but whether she goes for the Grade One or one of the handicaps has not been decided. She will be entered in handicaps over two and a half miles and three miles," said the Chipping Norton trainer.

"She won very nicely at Newbury and I think she had a bit in hand. The first part of the race did not pan out for her but she still came through and was impressive at the finish.

"She was off a light weight, don't get me wrong, but the way she did it you could be nothing but impressed. The hardest part will be having a trouble-free preparation because something normally goes wrong, but, touching wood, everything is going well at the moment."

The Harry Fry-trained Fletchers Flyer, winner of a bumper at Punchestown last year, is set to return for the Irish Daily Mirror Novice Hurdle on April 29.

"Fletchers Flyer is on target to run and obviously won a bumper at Punchestown last year," said the Dorset handler.

"He wasn't quite right on the day of the Albert Bartlett when he was due to run at Cheltenham. He seems to have got over that, no problem at all.

"He's a stayer in the making and three miles suits him. The Irish novices' form was very strong at the Cheltenham Festival, stronger than the English horses. It's no easy task but he's got course form so we're looking forward to bringing him over."

French-bred Qualando has done little wrong since joining Paul Nicholls and after landing the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham, connections are now eyeing Grade One glory in the AES Champion 4YO Hurdle on May 2.

"The plan is to run Qualando. We've kept him for Punchestown and he has done well since his race at Cheltenham. He has kept progressing so we thought we would give him a chance in a Grade One," said Nicholls.

Potential opponents include the Nicky Henderson-trained pair of Top Notch and Hargam, Jim Bolger's Theophilius and Needless Shouting, a nine-length scorer for trainer Mick Channon last week.

Mullins has given brilliant Arkle Trophy scorer Un De Sceaux an entry in the Ryanair Novice Chase on April 30 when he could meet two Grade One winners from Aintree last week - Gordon Elliott's Clarcam and Sizing Granite from Henry de Bromhead's stable.

There is a bumper 34-strong entry for the Tattersalls Ireland Champion Novice Hurdle on May 1 with Mullins' Douvan and Nichols Canyon among the possibles.

The Dermot Weld-trained Windsor Park, winner of the Neptune Investment Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham and Thistlecrack, a runaway Aintree winner for Colin Tizzard, are also on the list.