National Hunt fans have been denied the chance of an early sighting of one of the stars of last season with A Dream To Share no longer running at Punchestown on Wednesday.

The John and Thomas Kiely-trained five-year-old had been declared to start his new career in the BetVictor Predictor Maiden Hurdle, which has an illustrious roll of honour with the likes of Labaik, Samcro and Marine Nationale successful recently.

He is one of the most exciting prospects of the new season, having won five bumpers last term, including successes at Cheltenham and Punchestown.

Bought by JP McManus following his win at the Dublin Racing Festival, his racing manager Frank Berry delivered the unfortunate news that his hurdling debut would have to be delayed.

Speaking at Punchestown on Tuesday afternoon, Berry said: “A Dream To Share won’t be running tomorrow. He has a stone bruise.”

McManus does, though, have the favourite in the BetVictor Proud Sponsors Of Irish Racing Novice Chase in the Willie Mullins-trained Hercule Du Seuil.

The winner of four of his five runs over fences, he is already rated as high as 150.

“He’s taken to jumping very well and has done everything that has been asked of him so far. We’ll just see how he gets on on Wednesday and take it from there,” said Berry.

“He’s won on good ground, he’s won on heavy ground but I think the big thing with him is that he’s learned how to settle. He’s certainly going the right way.

“The handicappers tend to give the summer horses very high marks now. Sometimes they can get a bit lost when the better horses come out so let’s see how he gets on.”

Mqse De Sevigne will return to 10 furlongs at the Breeders’ Cup having chased home an inspired Inspiral in the Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket.

The Andre Fabre-trained four-year-old arrived at the Rowley Mile seeking a Group One hat-trick having landed a Deauville double in the Prix Rothschild and Prix Jean Romanet in the summer and although having to settle for second, lost little in defeat with a performance which pleased her master trainer.

She has now finished first or second in all six starts this season and will head to Santa Anita for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf over the distance she excelled at when downing George Boughey’s Via Sistina on her penultimate start.

Fabre said: “I was pleased with the way she ran, she obviously needs a bit further and was beaten by a top-class filly.

“The Breeders’ Cup is the plan and if she is in good shape she will go there. I think the two extra furlongs will suit her better.

“She was probably a bit backward and a bit unlucky in her races before. But I have been delighted with her.”

Fabre is no stranger to success at the Stateside showpiece and could have the chance to saddle a fourth winner in the Breeders’ Cup Turf if Junko joins his stablemate for the trip across the Atlantic.

The four-year-old was last seen beating Christopher Head’s Big Call in Deauville’s Prix de Reux and having missed out on a run at ParisLongchamp recently will attempt to book his ticket to California in the Prix du Conseil de Paris this weekend.

“I will probably go for the mile and a half race with Junko,” continued Fabre.

“He had to miss the Arc meeting, but he is going to run next Sunday and if he runs well and can get into the race he will run.”

It may only be the opening throes of the new National Hunt season but the ante-post favourite for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, A Dream To Share, runs at Punchestown on Wednesday.

The John and Thomas Kiely-trained five-year-old has already created his own little piece of history having won five bumpers last season, which included popular successes at Cheltenham and Punchestown.

He was ridden to all of those by amateur jockey John Gleeson, as his family bred and previously owned him. Bought by JP McManus after his victory at the Dublin Racing Festival, Mark Walsh takes over in the BetVictor Predictor Maiden Hurdle.

“It’s nothing really to do with the ground, John is just happy with him and said he’s happy to start off and it looks a nice starting point,” said McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry.

“He’s in good form but he’ll naturally improve for the run.

“It’s very rare for a horse to do what he did, winning five bumpers and two Grade Ones, it doesn’t happen too often.

“He was very good and John did a great job with him. We’re looking forward to seeing what he can do over hurdles now.

“John has been happy with his schooling, obviously he’ll learn from the run but he’s happy to start him off and touch wood all will go well.”

McManus also has the favourite in the BetVictor Proud Sponsors Of Irish Racing Novice Chase in the Willie Mullins-trained Hercule Du Seuil.

The winner of four of his five runs over fences, he is already rated as high as 150.

“He’s taken to jumping very well and has done everything that has been asked of him so far. We’ll just see how he gets on on Wednesday and take it from there,” said Berry.

“He’s won on good ground, he’s won on heavy ground but I think the big thing with him is that he’s learned how to settle. He’s certainly going the right way.

“The handicappers tend to give the summer horses very high marks now. Sometimes they can get a bit lost when the better horses come out so let’s see how he gets on.”

Another trip to the Breeders’ Cup is a possibility for Emaraarty Ana having returned to winning ways at Ascot on Saturday.

Kevin Ryan’s consistent speedster had been without a victory since tasting Group One glory in Haydock’s Betfair Sprint Cup in the autumn of 2021, but with cheekpieces applied and showing plenty of zest from the gate, he produced a taking performance in the hands of Neil Callan to claim the Listed Rous Stakes in good style.

The seven-year-old finished fourth in his first crack at the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar in 2021 and upgraded that to second when finding just Brad Cox’s US sprint star Caravel half a length too good at Keeneland last year.

However, with confidence restored at Ascot, the Sheikh Mohammed Obaid-owned sprinter could now get the chance to make it third time lucky Stateside at Santa Anita on November 4.

“To be fair to him, although he didn’t win last year, he was second at the Breeders’ Cup and was second to Minzaal at Haydock,” explained Adam Ryan, assistant trainer to his father.

“I know people were sort of writing him off, but Neil jumped off him at York (after the Garrowby Stakes) and said he wasn’t far away from what we expect from him, just maybe in his old age he was getting a bit cute. The cheekpieces obviously did the trick.”

On the Breeders’ Cup, he added: “With a horse like him we will have to discuss things with connections and we have to take that into consideration. But he loves fast ground and showed a lot of natural speed – it looks like he’s getting a bit quicker so you would have to say that could be on the cards if everyone agrees.

“He’s dined at the top table for most of his career and we know he travels well. He ran a great race over there last year and there will be no question marks over him going, so we will have to just have a chat with connections and decide what the best plan of action is.”

The long-awaited 2024 fixture list has been released by the British Horseracing Authority.

The introduction of ‘Premier Racedays’ had already been announced, while there has also been an effort to significantly boost Sunday racing.

There will be 170 Premier Raceday cards in 2024 across 38 courses. In comparison only 115 meetings in 2023 would have met the criteria which the BHA believes shows the willingness of courses to improve the product they are offering.

It is believed that by creating two tiers it will help point customers towards the headline meetings, and by giving them more space in the 2-4pm slot giving them “room to breath” will allow the sport to better promote stories and improve betting revenue.

During the window there will be two Premier fixtures with one other allowed in the 2-4pm slot. All others will now either start earlier, of which there are only five, or later. There will be 36 starting later than this year.

As for the famously packed Saturday on July 13, Newmarket, York and Ascot will race between 2-4pm while Chester will start later with Hamilton and Salisbury in the evening.

Sunday racing will feature better quality racing and also a trial of evening racing. There will be 29 Premier Sunday Racedays.

There will be a trial of six Sunday evenings in the first quarter of 2024 with £145,000 in prize-money required for each, while there will be additional payments for jockeys and grooms involved at these meetings.

Premier Racedays will benefit from a total of £3.8million in funding from the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB).

Another issue addressed is that of field sizes, statistically at their lowest for 30 years over both Flat and jumps. As a result 20 National Hunt fixtures have been cut meaning there will be 1,468 compared to 1,488 in 2023.

Another initiative to increase competitiveness is that class four handicaps with three or fewer declarations will now be cancelled.

Julie Harrington, chief executive of the BHA, said: “Compiling this year’s fixture list was a truly collaborative process on a scale which I have never before seen in our industry, with the sport pulling in the same direction to achieve a shared objective. I am extremely grateful to my teams at the BHA and everyone across the sport who has engaged so constructively in this process.

“There was agreement across the industry that steps were required to increase racing’s appeal to customers at the earliest opportunity, as well as addressing the current headwinds facing the sport.

“We accept and expected that, with significant change, there will always be some who feel that the cards have not fallen their way. However, the objective for these changes is that they grow the sport as a whole, with benefits that reach throughout the entire industry in the medium to long-term.

“This is the first major step in what is a long-term transformational plan. The expectation is that the changes should generate more revenue, which will allow us to invest in other key areas – including attracting new fans and new owners and increasing the reward and recognition of all our existing participants.

“All of these changes are being introduced on a trial basis. They will be closely monitored and measured.”

Owen Burrows is confident Alyanaabi can make his presence felt in the Native Trail’s Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.

A winner on his Salisbury debut in June, the son of Too Darn Hot then finished fourth behind subsequent Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Rosallion in the Listed Pat Eddery Stakes at Ascot.

Alyanaabi got back on the winning trail in the Group Three Tattersalls Stakes over the Dewhurst course and distance late last month- and while Aidan O’Brien’s unbeaten 2000 Guineas favourite City Of Troy is expected to prove hard to beat this weekend, Burrows is hopeful his colt will put up a bold showing.

“To have the third favourite in the Dewhurst is massively exciting and this is what it is all about,” said the Lambourn handler.

“He would have been a slightly unlucky loser last time out in the Group Three, but he just managed to put his head down in time.

“He is a horse we really like, and it will be interesting to see how he fares on Saturday. As you well know, it is always a bonus when they have acted on the track.

“We left France a couple of weekends ago disappointed after Hukum’s defeat in the Arc and it would be an amazing end to the season if we could come away with a Dewhurst winner.”

While Alyanaabi was not disgraced in being beaten just under five lengths by Rosallion at the end of July, Burrows is adamant his star juvenile is better than he showed on that occasion.

He added: “In the Listed race at Ascot we felt he ran tidy enough, but that wasn’t his proper running. He got a little bit shut up in behind and didn’t get out, but when he did get out he didn’t show the speed he does at home.

“Jim (Crowley) felt the slightly softer ground didn’t play to his strengths, so it was good once we got him on faster ground last time to see him show the speed we had seen at home.

“That Ascot race has turned out to be pretty smart as the winner Rosallion has won the Group One in France, the runner up Al Musmak has won a Listed race and was second in the Royal Lodge, and Dancing Gemini, who finished fifth, has also won a Listed race at Doncaster.

“Even though he got beat at Ascot it was still a good race and the form is stacking up well.”

Burrows hopes Alyanaabi can on Saturday prove himself a legitimate candidate for the 2000 Guineas back on the Rowley Mile next spring.

“He is a Group Three winner now and hopefully that is not the end of it,” he said.

“He is a lovely big scopey horse and it looks like he will get a mile all day long.

“We are all dreaming that he will hopefully be a Guineas horse next year.”

Oisin Murphy will reunite with Saeed bin Suroor’s 1000 Guineas heroine Mawj in Keeneland on Saturday night when she lines up for the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup.

Off the track since beating Dermot Weld’s Tahiyra to claim Classic honours at Newmarket, Bin Suroor has elected to take the battle-hardened three-year-old Stateside for her comeback run.

She has reportedly settled well in Kentucky and the Godolphin trainer is optimistic his charge is in a good place ahead of her tilt at the $600,000 contest over a mile and a furlong.

“She has arrived there and is out of quarantine and away now to the stables,” said Bin Suroor.

“She is looking good, is in good form and happy, and we are looking forward to running her Saturday.

“Oisin Murphy is going over to ride and so far is so good. She has done her main work in Newmarket and Oisin rode her in her last piece of work on the Limekilns round gallop. We’re hoping we will see good results from her again.

“She will have to be in a good position in the race, but as usual I like to have my horses handy and if she is somewhere close I would be happy. Oisin knows her well and so far so good.”

Mawj will have further US assignments on the agenda in just under a month’s time, with the outcome of her performance in Keeneland set to help formulate running plans for the Breeders’ Cup where she could stick to a mile or stretch out to 10 furlongs for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

“She could go for the Mile or the Filly & Mare,” continued the trainer. “It is between the two races and we will see. We have to see which horses are running and which race might suit her.”

Hollie Doyle has been handed a one-month ban – suspended for year – having tested positive for traces of a banned substance found in a painkiller used to treat an elbow injury.

The charge relates to Doyle returning a positive test for Dihyrocodeine (DHC) following her return to riding from a lengthy injury lay-off.

Having undergone surgery on her elbow in February 2023, Doyle returned at Newcastle on March 31 having been prescribed DHC post-operatively.

Upon interview Doyle also said she had been taking what she believed to be ibuprofen tablets previously ‘over the counter’ in Japan and had used those as pain relief. These tablets are marketed as ‘Pabron Ace Pro’.

Following an investigation by the British Horseracing Authority it was thought the likely source of DHC was therapeutic consumption of Pabron Ace Pro and Doyle had attempted to check the ingredients using Google Lens.

Sarah Crowther KC, chair of the BHA’s independent disciplinary panel, said: “I agree with the BHA that in light of the investigative findings, it is appropriate to reduce the penalty from the entry point of two months’ withdrawal of licence to one-month suspension.

“The breach was unintended and Ms Doyle has been cooperative with the investigation and made appropriate and early admissions. There is no evidence to suggest that Ms Doyle’s suitability to hold a licence is affected and therefore withdrawal would serve no purpose.

“The period of one-month suspension reflects the seriousness of the breach and also the fact that there is an element of lack of care involved.

“This is a first offence and I am content that the penalty can be suspended for one year and maintain its deterrent effect. I am confident that Ms Doyle will have learned from this episode and the risk of recurrence is extremely low indeed.

“The BHA has given consideration to requiring Ms Doyle to take part in the Enhanced Sampling Programme, but in my judgement that would be unnecessary where all the evidence suggests that this was a one-off error rather than a situation of any potential underlying systemic issue and monitoring would serve no real purpose.

“I therefore approve the penalty of one-month suspension of licence, suspended for one year.”

In a statement, Doyle said: “In April, when returning to ride after my elbow injury, Dr Jerry Hill informed me that I had tested positive for traces of Dihydrocodeine, which is a painkiller used to treat moderate pain.

“I required elbow surgery in February and was prescribed dihydrocodeine, which I stopped consuming a few days after my operation as it made me feel unwell. In April I tested positive on my return to ride, and I stated that I has only been taking ibuprofen and paracetamol throughout my recovery to control some swelling.

“After some research we found that the contamination came from a packet of ibuprofen which I had purchased when riding overseas, that unknowingly contained small amounts of Dihydrocodeine. The BHA accepts that this was the likely source of the positive.

“The BHA also accepts that the breach was innocent and unintended, but due to it being a strict liability case, they found it appropriate to impose a one-month suspended suspension.

“I’m extremely grateful to my family, friends, and employers for the support and advice over the last five months. We’re all very glad it’s over.”

Via Sistina is fully on course for an outing on Qipco British Champions Day, with George Boughey warning his star filly has been training better than ever.

The five-year-old is yet to finish outside the first three since joining Boughey last October and has taken her form to the next level this season, emphatically claiming the Dahlia Stakes on reappearance before scooping Group One honours at the Curragh in the Pretty Polly Stakes.

Creditable placed efforts in both the Falmouth Stakes and Prix Jean Romanet have followed and Boughey opted against sending his thriving mare to ParisLongchamp for the Prix de l’Opera in favour of heading to Ascot in peak condition.

The Saffron House handler is now hoping for some assistance from the weather to enable Via Sistina to showcase her best at the Berkshire track.

Boughey said: “The ground has always been a big thing for her and I think she will be at her best if the ground is slower. But it would also be no surprise to see her take chance on normal sort of ground.

“I can’t imagine it is going to be fast. I’ve long wanted to run her at Ascot and it usually comes up very soft. It doesn’t like it’s going to come up very soft, but there is every chance the weather could break and we will be hoping.”

“She’s training as well as she ever has and is in great form and this has been the plan for quite some time.”

Via Sistina has the option of taking on the colts over her Group One-winning distance of 10 furlongs in the Qipco Champion Stakes or having a first crack at a mile and a half if staying among her own sex for the Qipco British Champions Fillies And Mares Stakes.

Boughey believes Via Sistina’s versatility means he could have a tough call to make ahead of Ascot’s end-of-season showpiece on October 21.

He added: “We’ll just sort of monitor both of them and see how we go and hopefully we will see her in one of them.

“I’ve always thought she has been very versatile and I think there is every chance if she did turn up in the mile-and-a-half race, then she might have been favourite for a Group One over a mile, a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half in the same season which I’m not sure many will have done.

“She is versatile and the way she travels off the pace is probably conducive to staying a bit further so all options are open and it’s a nice decision to have to make.”

Ann and Ian Hamilton are thinking of giving Tommy’s Oscar the chance to replicate stable stalwart Nuts Well in the Jewson Old Roan Chase following his facile victory at Kelso on Sunday.

The eight-year-old has now won three times since turning his hand to chasing at the beginning of last season and he looked as good as ever when making his seasonal return in the Scottish Borders, cruising to a six-and-a-half-length success in the hands of Sean Quinlan.

With options limited and hesitations over their charge’s suitability to Cheltenham seemingly ruling out a shot at the Shloer Chase next month, the Northumberland-based team are tempted to step Tommy’s Oscar up to two and a half miles at Aintree later this month for a shot at the valuable Grade Two handicap.

Nuts Well’s victory in that contest ranks as one of the Hamiltons’ training highlights and having taken over the mantle of stable star, Tommy’s Oscar is a fitting candidate to try provide the husband and wife duo with a second chance of success in the race.

“He was good wasn’t he, giving them all that weight it was good,” said Ian Hamilton.

“We’re not sure where to go because he’s a two-miler, but we thought about taking the same route as Nuts Well and go to Aintree for the Old Roan.

“That’s two and a half, but on a flat track. He has won over two and a half but he wouldn’t get it on soft ground.”

He went on: “We’re hoping it will be all right for him because I’m struggling to find anything else. We’re too old to be travelling down to Cheltenham and them places and we’ve also got the farm up here.

“We’ll think about Aintree and he’s come out of the race well. It looks the best option if it’s not too soft.

“You wouldn’t think he has had a race this morning and looking at the race, it looks as if he would possibly stay. I don’t think he’s a Cheltenham horse and he likes a flat track I think. He has a high cruising speed so he can just sit in behind them.”