Tomorrows Leopardstown race 100 yards shorter than York Harbinger sold to stand at stud in JapanConnections of Twice Over are pinning their hopes on the layout of Leopardstown racecourse as the reason why their horse might beat Rip Van Winkle in the Irish Champion Stakes tomorrow. When the pair met in the Juddmonte International at York last month, Rip Van Winkle finished strongly to go past his rival in the final strides."Saturdays race is about 100 yards less and youd have backed Twice Over to win the York race with 100 yards to go," said Teddy Grimthorpe, a spokesman for Twice Overs owner, Khalid Abdulla. "The run-in at Leopardstown is not as far as it is at York and we were only beaten half a length. Its not such a great lot to turn around."Grimthorpe said Twice Over was versatile as to tactics and he may need to be, as the pace of the race is likely to be controlled by Aidan OBriens three runners.Kieren Fallon missed a second days racing because of flu-like symptoms, which caused him to give up six rides at Salisbury. The jockey is expected to return this afternoon at Lingfield.Harbinger has been sold for an undisclosed sum to stand at stud in Japan. The colt, briefly the highest-rated racehorse in the world after winning the King George by 11 lengths, is said to be recovering well from the fractured cannon bone he sustained on the gallops last month.Horse racingChris Cook guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds