Annie Power is the new favourite for next month’s Stan James Champion Hurdle following her comeback victory in Punchestown yesterday and news that reigning champion Faugheen has been ruled out of the race due to a suspensory injury.

AP McCoy has revealed it is extremely doubtful he will hang up his saddle at the Cheltenham Festival. 

Irving’s participation in next month’s Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham is in doubt.

Pre-race talk at Lingfield yesterday had all concerned the development of another eyecatching all-weather gamble but it was rendered insignificant after the shocking fall suffered by Martin Harley.

Ruby Walsh is confident Hurricane Fly’s advancing years were not to blame for his disappointing effort in last week’s Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Sire De Grugy’s popular triumph in the BetVictor Queen Mother Champion Chase helped punters take the honours on day two of the four-day Cheltenham Festival.

Ruby Walsh has stood over his comments, made on Tuesday after the death of Our Conor at Cheltenham, which have been greeted with anger by animal welfare activists in the UK.

The bookies are steeling themselves for potentially massive losses on the opening day of the Cheltenham festival, which kicks off today.

Hurricane Fly rewrote the history books when capturing the five-runner Stanjames.com Morgiana Hurdle at odds of 1/16 in Punchestown yesterday, the highlight of a superb day for champion trainer Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh, who landed his first five-timer in Ireland.

On a weekend when the Aidan O’Brien-trained Australia vaulted to favouritism for the 2014 Investec Derby, another Ballydoyle juvenile Giovanni Boldini created a favourable impression when making a successful debut in the www.dundalkstadium.com 2-Y-0 Race at Dundalk yesterday.

Appointed retained jockey for Prince Khalid Abdullah this week, James Doyle celebrated in style when guiding the Clive Brittain-trained Rizeena to victory in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh yesterday.

The Tommy Stack-trained Wannabe Better, clearly improving at a rate of knots, created a mild surprise when taking the featured Listed Vincent O’Brien Ruby Stakes at Killarney last night.

Aidan O'Brien was thrilled to see exciting juvenile War Command put a shock reverse behind him with a stylish victory in the Galileo European Breeders Fund Futurity Stakes at the Curragh this afternoon.

Gordon Lord Byron took full advantage of the absence of Darwin to win the Desmond Stakes at Leopardstown last night.

Sudirman gave trainer David Wachman his second Keeneland Phoenix Stakes success when confirming his Railway Stakes superiority over Big Time in the Group 1 feature at the Curragh yesterday.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained Indian Maharaja confirmed the promise of his impressive debut success at Gowran Park when justifying 30/100 favouritism in the listed Coolmore Canford Cliffs 2-Y-0 Stakes in Tipperary last night.

Great White Eagle looked a future star when making a successful debut in the Michael T O Maille 2-Y-0 Race in Naas yesterday.

Chicquita will be aimed at the Prix Vermeille and possibly the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe after surviving a dramatic drift to her left to land the Darley Irish Oaks at the Curragh on Saturday night.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained Indian Maharaja, the first foal of Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Again, proved the star of last night’s action in Gowran Park, storming home an impressive six-and-a-half lengths winner of the Irish Stallion Farms 2-Y-0 Maiden, the season’s first juvenile event over a mile.

Placed in both the Dante Stakes in York and the Irish 2,000 Guineas, Trading Leather made it third-time-lucky as a three-year-old and booked his ticket to the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby when justifying 5/4 favouritism in the listed TRM Silver Stakes in the Curragh yesterday.

Pale Mimosa gave trainer Dermot Weld his eighth win in the Seamus & Rosemary McGrath Memorial Saval Beg Stakes with a gutsy display at Leopardstown last night.

Magician secured trainer Aidan O’Brien his ninth Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas and his 29th domestic Classic with a devastating performance at the Curragh.

Odds-on favourite Battle Of Marengo gave Aidan O’Brien his seventh Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial win in ten years when beating three rivals readily at Leopardstown yesterday.

Battle Of Marengo made it five wins in a row but was only workmanlike in claiming victory in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown.

Battle Of Marengo proved a convincing winner of the Group 3 PW McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes, the highlight of a treble for Aidan and Joseph O’Brien in testing ground at Leopardstown yesterday.

Battle Of Marengo laid down an early marker for the Investec Derby with a determined triumph in the P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown.

Bookmakers were celebrating in the Aintree sunshine as Auroras Encore silenced the majority of the packed grandstands with a 66-1 success in the John Smith’s Grand National.

Bookmakers were battered on the final day of the Cheltenham Festival as punters piled into another feature-race winner.

Willie Mullins looks set to resist the lure of Cheltenham with Annie Power and head instead to Fairyhouse over the Easter period after her victory in the paddypower.com Novice Hurdle at Naas.

Willie Mullins predicted a big future for Annie Power after the mare swept to her sixth success in the paddypower.com Novice Hurdle at Naas.

On a day when Aintree-bound Seabass made a hugely encouraging return to action, hurdling debutant Defy Logic and Rock Critic enhanced their credentials as exciting novices with victories in Fairyhouse yesterday.

Trainer Henry de Bromhead and Sizing Europe’s owners are no nearer deciding on the eleven-year-old’s Cheltenham target following his workmanlike win in the Grade 2 Boylesports.com Tied Cottage Chase in Punchestown yesterday.

The Willie Mullins-trained Mozoltov booked his ticket to Cheltenham when getting the better of favourite Don Cossack in a tremendous tussle for the Grade 2 Racing UK Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle.

Ruby Walsh believes Hurricane Fly is back to the sort of form he was in two years ago after he partnered Willie Mullins’ charge to a third successive BHP Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Benefficient won a dramatic race in a three-runner affair for the Frank Ward Solicitors Arkle Novice Chase at Leopardstown.

Paul Gilligan, who has struggled to make an impact for a number of seasons, hit the jackpot at Gowran Park yesterday when Jadanli landed the valuable Goffs Thyestes Handicap Chase.

Colm Murphy’s Quito De La Roque, a horse who had been struggling to find form, came back to his best at Thurles yesterday when landing the Grade 2 Matty Ryan Memorial Kinloch Brae Chase.

Alderwood could well go back down the handicap route at this season’s Cheltenham Festival after making it third time lucky over fences at Navan on Sunday.

The highly-regarded Rule The World coasted to an impressive victory in the Grade 2 Slaney Novice Hurdle in Naas yesterday as 1/4 favourite Champagne Fever flopped badly, trailing in a distant third before being found to have “a respiratory tract infection”.

Our Vinnie displayed his customary stamina and toughness to land the Grade 3 Liberty Insurance Novice Hurdle narrowly in Limerick yesterday.

Sizing Europe claimed his third win of the season and his seventh Grade One victory in all with another fine display in the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase at Leopardstown.