Murphy's Cheeky Lady has first-rate claims

Gowran Park Preview:Brave Inca's stable companion, Cheeky Lady, can kick off a potential big race double for trainer Colm Murphy in today's Ellen Construction Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park.

Murphy yesterday issued an upbeat report on his stable star Brave Inca ahead of Sunday's AIG Europe Champion Hurdle and confirmed that Tony McCoy will again team up with the horse having been unavailable during the Christmas period.

However, his focus today will be firmly on Cheeky Lady who looks to have first-rate claims to the €100,000 prize that remains one of the most prestigious staying handicap chases on the Irish calendar.

The glory days of the past, when superstars such as Arkle, Flyingbolt and Brown Lad were landing the Thyestes, have been echoed somewhat in recent years with a pair of Grand National heroes, Hedgehunter (2004) and Numbersixvalverde (2005), as well as the subsequent Cheltenham winner Dun Doire last year, coming out on top.

This afternoon's 16-runner field is topped by a Grade One winner in Southern Vic and also has a cross-channel raider in the Market Rasen winner Kitski who comes from Ferdy Murphy's yard in an attempt to emulate the English-based winners, Couldn't Be Better (1997) and Zeta's Lad (1993.) Murphy's Irish raids have paid off in the past with the likes of the Kerry National winner Macs Supreme but it's the Co Wexford-based Murphy that looks the trainer to side with this time.

Brave Inca's trainer performed a minor miracle to get Cheeky Lady to run such a major race as a 50 to 1 shot in the Paddy Power Chase over Christmas where she ran a blinder on just her second chase start to finish third to Cane Brake.

Her cause wasn't helped by jockey Joey Elliot dropping his whip in the closing stages but a bigger problem came earlier in that a fresh Cheeky Lady travelled almost too well through the race.

"Unfortunately we couldn't get a run into her beforehand which might have knocked the freshness out of her. I would have been happier with a run under her belt," Murphy admitted yesterday.

"She seems in good form now but the fact that it is just her third run over fences must be a worry in such a competitive handicap. But touch wood, she does seem to jump very well," he added.

Kerryhead Windfarm will be a big danger if putting in a competent round of jumping, although that has let Michael Hourigan's horse down in the past, while Willie Mullins has a trio of horses to go to war with.

Celestial Wave can earlier have set up a very good day for the fairer sex by continuing her rise through the staying ranks in the Grade Three Alo Duffin Memorial Galmoy Hurdle.

A pair of Grade Two victories have forced Adrian Maguire's star mare down to as low as 10 to 1 for the World Hurdle at Cheltenham and in Timmy Murphy's absence, she will be ridden today by Conor O'Dwyer.

Ground conditions will be central to her chances of eventually making the festival but Celestial Wave will be in her element on today's testing conditions judged on an impressive 10-length defeat of Sweet Kiln and Strangely Brown at Leopardstown.

Rosaker, the Galmoy winner in 2004, and Emotional Moment, who has won for the last two years, will test Celestial Wave who, nevertheless, should be up to the task again.

Last year's finale threw up the subsequent Punchestown bumper hero Leading Run and it will be interesting to see how Stradbrook's second career start shapes up this afternoon.

The first, at Punchestown in October, resulted in an impressive win and it has been eye-catching to see the third home, Wickford, progress so well since and give the form a boost.

Cheeky Lady's jockey, Paddy Flood, could also be on the mark in the opening juvenile hurdle on board Shazand whose Irish debut yielded a runner-up placing to Deutschland on New Years Eve. Heavy ground should not be a problem for this former French Stakes winner.

Snowy Morning was upset by the outsider Baron De Feypo on his last start at Naas but he looks worth another shout in the novice chase.