CHELTENHAM BUILD-UP: THE RYANAIR Chase might be the race leading owner Michael O'Leary wants to win more than any other but that isn't adding to the pressure Michael Hourigan feels in preparing Mossbank for the Cheltenham Festival.

Mossbank is currently a general 5 to 1 joint favourite with Our Vic for the day three festival feature which has been upped to Grade One status for the first time.

Considering the horse is owned by the Ryanair supremo O'Leary, and the race itself was O'Leary's preferred festival option for War Of Attrition even up to just days before that horse won the Gold Cup two years ago, it could have been assumed Hourigan would be feeling extra strain on the run-up to Cheltenham 2008.

However, the Co Limerick trainer dismissed any idea of that yesterday and joked: "I hadn't even thought of it!" Hourigan, who expects to have up to five runners at Cheltenham, added: "He has always been a very good owner that way. He just lets me to get on with the job, which is great.

"The main thing is the horse is giving all the right signs and there's only a fortnight to go. We avoided running in the Hennessy, which I'm glad about because there's no doubt he's a better horse fresh. The ground should be better for him too. There's usually lovely ground over there."

Ireland's most successful current Cheltenham trainer, Edward O'Grady, will delay finalising his 2008 festival team until after this Sunday's post-race work-outs at Leopardstown.

O'Grady also wants to see how the festival handicaps start to shape up before naming the squad which is likely to be headed by the Champion Hurdle hope Catch Me as well as Clopf who is the shortest -priced Irish contender for the Arkle at a general 10 to 1.

Clopf will work out at Leopardstown on Sunday and O'Grady isn't concerned that the horse fell at the final fence on his last start when set to win the Flyingbolt Chase at Navan. "He fell, but it wasn't actually a fall in the sense that he hit the fence and capsized. He actually jumped it perfectly and slipped. It was like somebody pulled the rug out from underneath him," he said yesterday.

"He has jumped well at home since. He will go to Leopardstown on Sunday and at the moment the Arkle is his preferred option," added O'Grady who has yet to name a jockey for Catch Me in the Champion Hurdle.

Stable jockey Andrew McNamara has been released from the ride to team up with the Champion favourite Sizing Europe who he rode to victory in the AIG at Leopardstown last month.

Sizing Europe pleased his connections in a piece of work yesterday and trainer Henry De Bromhead reported: "He worked well so I'm really happy with him at the moment. It's great to be involved with the favourite for the Champion Hurdle and we're just waiting for the race."

Noel Meade has not decided if his Grade One winner Aitmatov will run in the Champion Hurdle or wait instead for the Ladbrokes World Hurdle after a return to form behind Kazal in the Boyne Hurdle on his last start.

"We still haven't decided but he's a horse who will definitely be better on better ground," Meade said. "It was much more like it the last day. Barry (Geraghty) got a run on us and we got caught out a little. But it was probably a very good run."

Meade added that his top novice, Muirhead, will have two more bits of work before heading to Cheltenham, most likely for the Anglo Irish Bank Supreme Novices' Hurdle for which he is a best priced 9 to 1 shot.

Perce Rock, a one-time leading fancy for the Arkle, features among the 12 entries for the novice chase at Leopardstown this Sunday and also among the 29 left in the Mick Holly Handicap Chase on the same card.

Both Paddy Power and Cashmans have announced they are adopting a "money back" policy on all ante-post bets for the 25 races for the Cheltenham Festival.