RACING:BRAVE INCA has run three times in the Champion Hurdle already with three different jockeys on board and there could be a fourth in the saddle in 12 days' time when the star veteran again lines up for the day-one festival feature.
The 2006 champion is continuing to please trainer Colm Murphy in his build-up to Cheltenham 2009 but the question of who will ride Brave Inca is still open.
Ruby Walsh has ridden the 10-time Grade One winner in both his last starts including when landing last month’s Toshiba Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown. Davy Russell was on board when Brave Inca returned from an 18-month lay-off in November’s Hatton’s Grace.
“The horse is very well and might go to Leopardstown on Sunday after racing. We’ll decide after he does his last major piece of work about jockey plans. We seem to have the same problem every year but it’s usually sorted out earlier than this,” Murphy said yesterday.
“The big boys like Ruby (Walsh) and AP (McCoy) all seem to have a ride in the race already but we will wait and see who might become available. There’s certainly nobody booked right now,” he added.
Murphy plans to have up to four runners at the festival with Big Zeb still on course to take on Master Minded in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and Megans Joy a contender for the David Nicholson Mares Hurdle. Clew Bay Cove is also a possible for the festival finale, the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual.
However, one horse who won’t be travelling is Zaarito who beat only one home in last weekend’s Johnstown Hurdle at Naas. Murphy has now decided the novice definitely will not run at Cheltenham.
“We will freshen him up. He’s just not sparkling at the moment but he will come back to himself. It just won’t be in time for the festival,” he said.
The same year Brave Inca won the Champion Hurdle, War Of Attrition landed the Gold Cup and Mouse Morris confirmed the horse will attempt to become the first to regain the blue-riband crown.
“I just hope they don’t start watering the track. He’s a spring horse as well but a lot of that is down to the ground too,” Morris said yesterday.
“He ran respectable at Leopardstown (Lexus Chase.) I was a bit disappointed but when you consider the ground, that’s just him. If he gets his ground, I still think that (Gold Cup) is his class. I don’t think there is a whole lot between the top and the bottom this year,” he added.
Kerry trainer Tom Cooper already has Forpadydeplasterer earmarked for the Arkle at Cheltenham and could also attempt to land the Champion Hurdle with River Liane.
The ex-French horse finished third in the Irish Champion Hurdle and Cooper also has him entered at Dundalk tomorrow and at Leopardstown on Sunday.
He said yesterday: “He is in the County Hurdle but I would say he will have a crack at the Champion if he is going to go. He seems very well. He’s won on heavy but I think he is better on better ground so the going isn’t a worry.”
