Diakali ready but long absence tempers expectations 

Diakali, who hasn't run since the Galway Hurdle in 2015, returns to action in the Foxrock Cup Hurdle over 2m2f (2.10) on Sunday. As his long absence suggests, he's had his problems and is just ready to start back. He's a dual Grade 1 winner and is well treated by the race conditions. He will like the ground but, in view of him being on the sidelines for so long, we're just hoping he runs a good race and comes out of it in good shape.

We also run two others in the race – Aurko and Bonbon Au Miel –who will be having their first run for us. We bought them in France but, like Diakali, they've had training setbacks and been off the track for a long time.

Aurko won two hurdle races in France in 2013, but he hasn't run since winning by eight lengths at Pau in December of that year, while Bonbon Au Miel hasn't appeared since scoring over this trip by eight lengths at Fontainebleau in September 2014. We've bought plenty of horses in France who have gone on and done very well, but the training setbacks Aurko and Bonbon Au Miel have had shows the other side of the coin.