Inca aimed at festival

HORSE RACING:HOPES ARE growing in the Brave Inca camp that their veteran star can make his presence felt in next month's Champion Hurdle in what will be a fifth festival appearance for the 11-year-old.

Brave Inca is a 25 to 1 shot for the race he won in 2006 after his emotional success in the Toshiba Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown nine days ago.

“He’s very good and has gone very fresh again,” reported trainer Colm Murphy yesterday. “We won’t do much with him for a week or two and then we will kick on again. He’s wonderful, an amazing horse that keeps surprising us.”

Murphy’s festival team is also set to include the highly-rated novice Zaarito, and he could also run Clew Bay Cove, who was third to Imsingingtheblues in a €110,000 race at Doncaster on Saturday.

“He ran a blinder. He just got outpaced early on. I believe there is a race for him at Cheltenham and the track might suit him better,” Murphy said yesterday.

“Two miles on a stiff track is probably where we will go.”