RacingThe top woman rider Nina Carberry has been given a prime opportunity to hit the Cheltenham score-sheet as she has been booked to partner the Wetherbys Champion Bumper hope Karanja next Wednesday.
The 20-year-old claimer could be the third member of her family to win at the festival after her Gold Cup winning father Tommy and brother Paul who rides Beef Or Salmon in this season's Gold Cup.
Carberry rode the unbeaten Karanja to win at Newbury last time out and his trainer Victor Dartnall said yesterday: "The horse is in great form and did a nice bit of work this morning. He's a tough customer and takes his racing well but it looks a hot race, especially with the Irish horses." The booking triggered some significant activity in the ante-post betting with Karanja, who has also won at Sandown and Windsor, being cut into 7 to 1 with Cashmans.
The Cork firm also reported activity in the Gold Cup market following the news of Kicking King's possible return to contention and Willie Mullins's hint that Rule Supreme is likely to take up the Gold Cup option rather than run in the World Hurdle.
Rule Supreme's Gold Cup odds have been cut into 6 to 1 while it is now only 2 to 1 about an Irish trained horse coming out on top in steeplechasing's blue riband.
Paddy Power reported a tightening in the Letheby & Christopher Supreme Novice Hurdle odds of the prime Irish hopes Justified (now 9 to 2) and Publican who is now an 8 to 1 shot.
Some firms are now going a remarkable 1 to 10 about an Irish horse coming out on top in the Smurfit Champion Hurdle and while Al Eile is not in the top rank of the challenge he will have the benefit of Timmy Murphy in the saddle. Murphy, however, is unlikely to be free to ride the John Queally trained horse in the County Hurdle which is Al Eile's second festival target.
Nina Carberry will be in action at Thurles this afternoon where she will be in action in the 40,000 to the winner Michael Purcell Novices Hurdle.
She will be on the course winner Chicago Vic, who sluiced up here by 20 lengths on his last start. However, this is a pretty hot contest for the week before Cheltenham and Carberry may have to settle for a place at best.
Sweet Kiln, Leonardo De Vinci and Major Vernon set quite a standard but a value option may be Teeming Rain who landed some tasty bets on his last start and is clearly still improving.
Carberry fans, however, should get a pay out if they wait until the last where Adrian Maguire's point-to-point winner Hardwick can go one better than at Downpatrick when beaten just three parts of a length by the smart In The High Grass.
