The Paul Nicholls trained Laurina is set to start her season off in the Coral Hurdle at Ascot on Saturday with the handler admitting she is a hard horse to train, but could find the form of old this term.
Laurina has moved from Willie Mullins to Paul Nicholls this season as she has become one of a number of horses switched by owner Jared Sullivan over to England from Ireland for good.
Laurina entered the national hunt racing scene as a superstar, landing all six of her races over hurdles, including the Grade Two Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham festival and her first Grade One at Fairyhouse.
On course for the Champion Hurdle in 2019 she landed her first two races before running a stinker in the Grade One event and since that day she has never been the same horse.
Laurina will bid to enhance her claims for the Unibet Champion Hurdle when she lines up for the Smart Money’s On Coral Quevega Mares Hurdle at @punchestownrace on Wednesday - watch how she fares live on Racing TV. ⬇️https://t.co/ZCgs6zFb7R pic.twitter.com/xvklilPClz
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) February 19, 2019
Having been sent chasing she landed her first ever attempt over the bigger obstacles, seeing off RSA second Minella Indo, but since then has flopped over fences and hurdles and now Nicholls is looking to rebuild her career and find that form of old.
Nicholls now believes that the extended two-mile-three-furlong test at Ascot is an ideal starting point for the mare and he is optimistic of a big run.
(Credit ATR) Nicholls said: “I’m looking forward to running Laurina. She has been a bit of a challenge, but she appears in good shape.
“We’ve got to start her off somewhere, and it’s a nice little starting point. She doesn’t get any penalties and gets a mares’ allowance. She could be quite interesting.”