Cheltenham news:Tony McCoy will be the man on board what will be many people's Irish banker bet at Cheltenham this week after securing the ride on Aran Concerto in Wednesday's Ballymore Properties Novice Hurdle.
Paul Carberry's weekend confirmation that a foot injury will rule him out of the entire festival had the champion trainer Noel Meade scurrying for substitute riders, and he has turned to the British champion for the horse he has described as "potentially the best I've trained".
"Tony McCoy is available so we have booked him - he's not a bad substitute!" Meade said yesterday.
Meade has also snapped up the services of Barry Geraghty for his Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle hope Iktitaf. while Niall "Slippers" Madden will team up with Orbit O'Gold in the Anglo Irish Bank Supreme Novices Hurdle.
"Denis O'Regan will ride some of mine later in the week," added Meade, who said he will not run Aitmatov in Wednesday's Coral Cup. "He doesn't appear well handicapped to me."
The first of the Irish party arrived at Cheltenham yesterday, and eight of Willie Mullins's team exercised in the middle of the track.
The trainer's wife, Jackie, pointed to the SunAlliance Chase hope Snowy Morning as having a real chance of delivering success on the big day.
"I'd say Snowy Morning could be our best chance," she said. "He could be a quiet one. He's won two point to points, a bumper, a hurdle and three chases, but he's still 10 to 1."
The three Mullins hopes for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper were also on view, along with Sublimity, who is one of the 11 horses who will line up in tomorrow's highly competitive Champion Hurdle.
John Carr's horse will be one of a five-strong Irish challenge headed by the current title holder Brave Inca and the former dual-Champion Hardy Eustace. Tom Mullins has confirmed Asian Maze for the two-mile championship, while Iktitaf completes the formidable Irish team.
Brave Inca's trainer, Colm Murphy, gave an upbeat bulletin about his charge yesterday and said: "We have been very happy with the way things have gone and we are delighted to have Ruby (Walsh) on board, as he knows him.
"He would probably prefer better ground, but he has won Grade Ones on soft. I would like to think he is on a par with how he was at this time last year, he might even be better."
However, the home hope Detroit City remains a general 2 to 1 favourite to become the first five-year-old to win the Champion Hurdle since See You Then in 1985.
Meanwhile, My Way De Solzen, winner of the World Hurdle last year, has been confirmed a runner in the Arkle Trophy tomorrow rather than waiting for Thursday's Ryanair Chase.
"The ground looks like it will be soft on Tuesday so we are going to go for the Arkle," said his trainer, Alan King.
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