Dual Irish champion Flat jockey Joseph O’Brien has decided not to ride at all this year and to concentrate on his new role as a trainer.

Risk Of Thunder, owned by actor Sean Connery and credited with stimulating interest in cross-country races in Ireland, has died at the age of 27.

There’s plenty to be learned from the races, and here are three nuggets Tuesday’s Cheltenham fixtures taught us.

Well, at least reading the front-page story of the Racing Post on Tuesday, it seems that off-course bookmakers are literally trembling in their boots.

Charlie Swan expects Ruby Walsh to desert Hurricane Fly in the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, despite his historic fifth victory in the Irish equivalent on Sunday.

What is left to say about the extraordinary Hurricane Fly, one off the greatest National Hunt horses of all time?

Willie Mullins admits conditions at Leopardstown are "probably not ideal" for Hurricane Fly as he goes in search of a record fifth victory in tomorrow’s BHP Insurances Irish Champion Hurdle.

Aidan O’Brien could be about to saddle his first National Hunt runner in a number of years after entering Brave Hearted in a bumper at Killarney on Monday.

THERE are two noticeable powerhouses dominating Irish racing this season - Willie Mullins and Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown House Stud.

Hurricane Fly is hot favourite to retain his crown in the Stan James Champion Hurdle, but how good is the Willie Mullins-trained eight-year-old, and can he hang on to his title?

WHEN Willie Mullins talks about Hurricane Fly he uses words and constructs his sentences in the manner you would expect from a nervous curator cradling a rare and precious artefact rather than a trainer of horses.

THE Punchestown executive must be smacking their collective lips in expectation of a massive spin-off from Cheltenham for their forthcoming festival.

THE battles on the infamous uphill climb after the last obstacle aren’t the only ones that will be played out on the Cotswolds this week.

Colm Murphy has to pinch himself when looking back at the first 10 years of his training career.

Smurfit Kappa are to end their backing of the Champion Hurdle which they have sponsored since 1991.

YEATS ensured his place in the pantheon of racing greats as he became the first horse to register four glorious victories in the Ascot Gold Cup yesterday.

All eyes will this afternoon be on Tony McCoy and red-hot favourite Binocular when the tapes go up for the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.

Charlie Swan admits he would love to partner Champion Hurdle favourite Binocular if he were still riding.

BRAVE INCA is strongly fancied to give Ireland a sixth success in eight runnings of the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham this afternoon.

Dessie Hughes is not too concerned about the prospect of heavy ground for Hardy Eustace in the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown on Sunday week.

WISDOM, conventional or otherwise, is in plentiful supply at the Cheltenham Festival and conjecture is very much a common currency.

THAT was some over-reaction by Ladbrokes to the smooth success of Accordion Etoile at Cheltenham on Sunday.

RUBY WALSH yesterday expressed confidence that Azertyuiop will give Moscow Flyer a real battle in the Champion ’Chase at Cheltenham next week.

Ruby Walsh took Aintree by storm with a sparkling 681-1 treble in the first three races on Martell Cognac Grand National day with one trainer hailing the jockey as the “best thing to come out of Ireland since Guinness”.

By Fergus Finlay

Intersky Falcon will face a maximum of nine rivals when he bids to continue his winning ways in the Pertemps Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park on Boxing Day.

Ireland has produced some brilliant and some highly-popular National Hunt horses down the years, with Arkle and Dawn Run perhaps the two who fit most readily into both categories.

Jockey Charlie Swan paid tribute to three times Smurfit Champion Hurdle winner Istabraq after he was officially retired today.

Istabraq is set to be retired after his bid for a record fourth Smurfit Champion Hurdle victory ended in anti-climax on Tuesday.

Three-time Smurfit Champion Hurdle winner Istabraq suffered a tendon injury when attempting a record fourth success in the Cheltenham contest on Tuesday, it emerged today.

Istabraq is set to be retired after his bid for a record fourth Smurfit Champion Hurdle victory ended in anti-climax today.

Smurfit Champion Hurdle winning jockey Dean Gallagher spoke of his surprise as his mount - Hors La Loi III - won the race earlier this afternoon.

Istabraq has failed in his quest for a fourth Smurfit Champion Hurdle success at Cheltenham.

Three times Champion Hurdle winner Istabraq has been pulled up by jockey Charlie Swan.

Istabraq has recovered from his workout at Leopardstown last week and remains on course to bid for an unprecedented fourth Smurfit Champion Hurdle success at the Cheltenham Festival next week.

All eyes will be on Istabraq’s tilt at a historic four Champion Hurdle victories on Tuesday week March 12th when he faces the starter at the Mecca of National Hunt Racing, Cheltenham 2002.

Triple Champion Hurdler Istabraq looked fit and well when completing the main part of his Cheltenham preparation at Leopardstown racecourse.

Istabraq may have a racecourse gallop in Ireland today, his trainer Aidan O’Brien has revealed.

Istabraq has been a constant drifter in the ante-post exchanges on the Smurfit Champion Hurdle in recent weeks but that may be about to change.

Istabraq has been a constant drifter in the ante-post exchanges on the Smurfit Champion Hurdle in recent weeks but that may be about to change.

Aidan O’Brien has confirmed that Istabraq’s next outing will be in the Smurfit Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on March 12.