3 minute read

Charles Byrnes has his fingers crossed Coral Lanzarote Hurdle favourite Green Glory will be able to line up at Kempton on Saturday despite encountering problems in his efforts to cross the Irish Sea.

The six-year-old heads the market at 9-2 with the sponsors for the ultra-competitive two-mile-five-furlong handicap on the back of opening his hurdles account at Leopardstown over the Christmas period.

But his bid to quickly double his tally over timber has hit a stumbling block with the current inclement weather halting Charles Byrnes' plans to travel Green Glory on the ferry from Dublin.

He said: "It looks a nice race for him, but our biggest problem at the moment though is travelling.

"We haven't been able to get on the ferry. We're going to try again tonight, but I don't think it's looking great.

"We'll try again first thing in the morning and if they don't take livestock then we won't be travelling. It's as simple as that and the biggest problem at the moment. It (the weather) seems to be worse in Holyhead than it is in Dublin.

"We could come over tomorrow but it is cutting it very fine to get settled in and is not ideal. If we can get travelling tomorrow morning we'll probably come over. If they don't let us on the half eight though, we won't be travelling any later than that."

For now all Byrnes – who has his plane ticket booked to attend Kempton – can do is hope for an upturn in conditions which will allow his progressive hurdler to take his chance.

He continued: "It is what it is and we can't change that. We've got the flight booked and all set to go, so fingers crossed we get travelling."