Porter and Perceval on Kerry National duty for Cromwell

Flooring Porter and Perceval Legallois give trainer Gavin Cromwell a strong hand in the Guinness Kerry National at Listowel on Wednesday.

The popular Flooring Porter made a successful start to his career over fences at Cheltenham last October before reverting to the smaller obstacles and finishing second in his bid for a third win in the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Festival in March.

He was well beaten on his return to chasing at Killarney in July, but Cromwell is expecting him to make his presence felt in Wednesday’s €200,000 feature.

“Flooring Porter seems in great form. We’re happy with him and the ground should be ideal,” he said.

“Going left-handed is a big plus for him. We’ve trained him for this race for a long while, so we’re looking forward to it and hopefully he’s going to run well.”

Perceval Legallois must also be considered a major player, despite finishing only eighth as a 7-2 favourite in the Galway Plate on his most recent outing.

Cromwell added: “Perceval Legallois didn’t get the clearest of passages in the Galway Plate after missing the start and going a bit wide. He missed a couple of fences at the wrong time but ran well on the whole.

“With a clear run, hopefully he has a good chance. The ground should be fine. The more rain that comes, the better for him, but it should be OK.”