Riding the Champion Hurdle favourite automatically creates pressure but JP Magnier will be under an even stronger microscope than usual when he gets on Rhinestone Cowboy at Leopardstown today.
The 19-year-old son of Coolmore Stud supremo John Magnier has proved himself a more than capable amateur rider with six winners from just 24 rides this season in Ireland.
He also created a favourable impression when guiding Rhinestone Cowboy to success at Haydock a fortnight ago, a victory that promoted the horse to 11 to 4 favouritism for the Champion Hurdle. However, Magnier Jnr remains a potentially easy target as Rhinestone Cowboy's trainer Jonjo O'Neill acknowledged yesterday. "He does nothing wrong on the horse but one day he will get beat on him and the whole world will be down on top of him. But that's racing, that's life," he said.
Magnier has won twice in total on the horse but the Bewley's Hotel Festival Hurdle will be a very different proposition to Haydock even with a small field of seven lining up. Rhinestone Cowboy is up against Back In Front, at 8 to 1, the shortest priced Irish-trained Champion Hurdle contender, and Solerina, the ultra-popular star stayer who is on trial for possible Champion Hurdle glory herself.
Paul Carberry is reunited with Solerina after Gary Hutchinson partnered the mare to Grade One glory in the Hatton's Grace at Fairyhouse and also in winning at Navan last time out.
Carberry has already tasted Grade One success at this festival on his comeback from a broken thumb and with Barry Geraghty on Back In Front, much of the cream of this country's riding talent is on show.
Magnier will not be allowed to claim but against that is the evidence that Rhinestone Cowboy should be able to travel easily and generously through the early stages. At the other end it may be a different story. Carberry is sure to set a searching pace on Solerina and the presence of the SunAlliance winner Hardy Eustace also indicates that stamina will be a vital necessity.
The other English-based contender, Flame Creek, brings a useful form line from the Bula Hurdle won by Rigmarole, a race that Spirit Leader managed only sixth in.
Back In Front hasn't run since beating Sacundai in the Morgiana last month, a race where Solerina finished third on her first start for nine months.
The mare has undoubtedly improved since but now she is up against two specialist two milers in Back In Front and Rhinestone Cowboy who are at their optimum distance. It's worth betting that Back In Front. will prevail.
Apart from the big race, the Leopardstown festival rather fizzles out with only 49 runners contesting the other five races. An interesting event is the beginners' chase, however, where Dermot Weld gives Direct Bearing a first start over fences against some experienced types like One Night Out.
Another chasing newcomer is Munster who is running for the first time in 10 months. The Arthur Moore team have been in good form this Christmas and Munster looked a real chasing type even when winning his maiden hurdle last season.
One of the more interesting contenders at Limerick today is Bowmore who makes his hurdling debut in the opener. A Stakes class operator on the flat when trained by John Oxx, Bowmore last appeared at the Curragh when October when fourth to L'Ancresse. Bowmore raced off a rating of 101 that day which was 5lb lower than his previous start. If translating that sort of performance to hurdles for Philip Rothwell, then Bowmore should have too much toe for the likes Safe Deposit who ran third to Kahuna at Punchestown last time.
