Teak-tough McCoy guides Albertas Run home

FOR ONCE AT Cheltenham, discretion paid off instead of valour as Albertas Run enjoyed another Grade One festival triumph under Tony McCoy in yesterday's Ryanair Chase.

The former RSA winner had been a contender for today's Gold Cup until McCoy and trainer Jonjo O'Neill no doubt discreetly pointed out to owner Trevor Hemmings that that would mean taking on a certain Kauto Star.

Albertas Run did finish runner-up to Kauto in the 2008 King George but it was a distant second and so Hemmings agreed to switch to the Ryanair if McCoy would ride.

That briefly didn't look like happening as a first-fence fall from Jered in the Jewson left even the teak-tough champion jockey admitting: "When I was on the ground the pain threshold was testing me to the limit."

Since McCoy's pain threshold ranks alongside an Abrams battle tank, one can only imagine the valour required to get back up for a frantically run chase in which Albertas Run was in the front-rank throughout.

Poquelin stalked him down the hill but while Ruby Walsh on the 11 to 4 favourite and Davy Condon on J'y Vole bounced off each other around the final bend, McCoy kept Albertas Run going to win with authority.

"There is no better man to ride a horse. AP is a very special fella. He has got a few stitches but he'll be alright - a magic man," said O'Neill who could now prepare Albertas Run for the Grand National.

Poquelin nosed J'y Vole out of second after their own private battle and Condon looked to get a very harsh four-day ban for careless riding after the stewards decided the gap he went for on Walsh's inside wasn't really there.

"At the stage where Ruby went into a boxing match with Davy we were definitely travelling well and up for second," said Ger O'Brien of the syndicate that owns J'y Vole and also Quevega.

On a blank day for the Irish, it was Dermot Weld's Prince Erik that got closest, chasing home Buena Vista to the tune of five lengths in the Pertemps Final. There was a sting in the tail for jockey Robbie Power however with a two-day ban for his use of the whip.

"I was hoping the winner might run out of steam coming up the hill but that doesn't happen often with a Pipe horse," Weld said.

Buena Vista was running for the sixth time at the festival and dominated under claimer Hadden Frost to kick off a David Pipe double.

"My only dilemma was deciding what race to go for. He was in my Dad's race (Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Hurdle) as well but he needs good ground and looking at the forecast I decided to go earlier rather than later," the trainer said.

Great Endeavour brought up the Pipe double in the Byrne Group Plate, running on too strongly for the JP McManus- owned favourite Sunnyhillboy. It was a fifth festival triumph for Pipe and a first for Essex-born jockey Danny Cook.

"Danny's very good for his 3lb claim. We entered him in the Jewson but missed the cut yesterday and so credit to my secretary who swapped the horse and put him in this race," Pipe said. "We did consider putting Danny on Our Vic but he was adamant he would prefer to be on the less-exposed horse."

Cook said: "Last year I had a second and a fourth at the festival and watching all the other lads riding winners I was only hoping my turn would come."

Pipe came within half a length of a famous treble as Faasel only just failed to overhaul Ballabriggs who tied up dramatically in the final 100 yards of the concluding Kim Muir Chase.

"That was agony!" said Ballabriggs's trainer Donald McCain. "There wasn't a lot left at the end - it was painful."

McCain won with Peddlers Cross on Wednesday while Ballabriggs was ridden by Richard Harding who was winning at the festival for the third time in all.

Richard Johnson brought his festival tally to 15 with a Jewson victory on Copper Bleu and trainer Philip Hobbs said: "I thought Dickie was brilliant as the plan was to be handy but they went far too quick. They were flat out the whole way. This is only his fourth start over fences and he has taken a few runs to get his act together but he jumped brilliantly all the way."