Min and Identity Thief primed for novice showdown

Min and Identity Thief head a list of 15 acceptors for the Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Chase at Leopardstown on Monday.

The pair are high up in the betting for the Racing Post Arkle Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival, with Min, who won impressively by ten lengths on his debut over fences at Navan last month, 5-1 second favourite behind Altior and Identity Thief available at 8-1.

Willie Mullins, trainer of Min, has also left in recent Punchestown winner, American Tom, Bellshill and Bellow Mome while Identity Thief, who is two from two over fences, is one of five acceptors trained by Henry de Bromhead for the 2m1f event.

Racing Post Novice Chase entries

De Bromhead said yesterday: "All is well with Identity Thief. He seems well and the plan is to run him on Monday. It's likely Ordinary World and Three Stars will join him in the line-up. I'm not sure yet about plans for the other two we've left in the race – Attribution and Some Plan."

Ordinary World won on his debut over fences at Fairyhouse in October before finishing a length behind stablemate Identity Thief in the Grade 2 Craddockstown Novice Chase at Punchestown last month, while Three Stars has won at Grade 3 level.

Douvan will be the star attraction at Leopardstown on Tuesday, when he will bid to make it eight from eight over fences in the Grade 1 Paddy Power Cashcard Chase.

Paddy Power Cashcard Chase entries

The 22-length winner of the Grade 2 Hilly Way Chase at Cork on his reappearance ten days ago, Douvan is one of eight acceptors for the 2m1f event, along with stablemates Un De Sceaux and Black Hercules.

Punchestown, where Douvan is set to appear, must pass an 8am inspection on Sunday morning due to the threat of overnight frostCredit: Patrick McCann

Sizing John, a Grade 2 winner at Punchestown last season before finding Douvan much too good on the three occasions they met over fences, could have his first run of the season and his first since joining Jessica Harrington, while also left in at yesterday's forfeit stage was the Nicky Richards-trained Simply Ned, who finished runner-up in the event a year ago, having run third in the race in 2014.