Cheltenham Race Course, Wednesday, March 13th 2002

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.

Charlie Swan is to retire from the training ranks at the end of this month.

Willie Mullins’ winning machine may have an enviable record but he is still pigeon-holed as the Robbie Keane of racing.

The Irish have a special connection with the second week of March thanks in no small part to one unique racecourse in the Cotswalds.

Shield booked his place in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham when landing yesterday’s finale at Leopardstown.

It was fantastic to win a third Lexus at Leopardstown yesterday on Tidal Bay, to go with previous victories on Rince Ri and Denman.

Sir Des Champs could yet travel to Kempton to contest the William Hill King George VI Chase on St Stephen’s Day with trainer Willie Mullins describing his decision as to whether to run in that race or the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown as “a 50/50 call”.

Mouse Morris is set to saddle both Hennessy Gold Cup third First Lieutenant and the returning China Rock in the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown on December 27.

Owner Dai Walters is hoping Oscar Whisky will be seen in his true light when he returns to the scene of his greatest success at Aintree on Saturday.

The dust had hardly settled on Cheltenham before Rod Street, chief executive of Racing For Change, reopened the debate on whether the festival should start on a Wednesday and finish on a Saturday.

I will arrive at Cheltenham today confident there’s a strong possibility of getting among the winners, especially with Hurricane Fly in the Champion Hurdle and Quevega in the Mares’ Hurdle.

The Cheltenham Festival can literally make or break a bookies’ year.

HE is affable, personable and courteous, but also cold and logical.

A year ago Ireland won a record 13 of the 27 races at the Cheltenham festival.

QUITO De La Roque and Jessies Dream will both miss the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown on Sunday.

WITH stable-jockey Kevin Manning on duty in Dubai (he rode Hurricane Havoc to finish fourth in the Group 2 Cape Verdi yesterday), Rory Cleary proved an able deputy when providing Jim Bolger with a double, on Heir To The Mint and General Bunching at Dundalk last night.

IT was an up and down week of racing for us. It was great to get back among the winners again after six or seven weeks and just draw a line under that.

BOOKMAKERS and punters were singing off the one hymn sheet after Fame And Glory had landed the Saval Beg Stakes at Leopardstown last Sunday.

WATCHING Hurricane Fly coast away with the Rabobank Champion Hurdle at Punchestown last night one’s thoughts drifted back to the mighty Istabraq.

CHARLIE SWAN was crowned king of the legends after making all the running on Miami Gator to win the Fudge And Smudge Leger Legends Classified Stakes at Doncaster yesterday.

CHARLIE SWAN, who won three Champion Hurdles on Istabraq for Aidan O’Brien, teamed up with the Ballydoyle trainer’s son, Joseph, to land the featured Guinness Handicap with Rajik at Galway last night.

Punjabi bids to follow in the illustrious hoofprints of Istabraq and Hardy Eustace by completing the Cheltenham/Punchestown Champion Hurdle double tomorrow.

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

TWO early cloudbursts threatened to spoil the fun but after that it was all sunshine.

IN all the years I have been travelling to Cheltenham, I have never seen a more extraordinary Champion Hurdle.

Schedule for the opening day of the 2005 Cheltenham Festival.

ANYONE else mildly surprised there was no real tightening in the price of Hardy Eustace for the Champion Hurdle, following his seasonal debut at Navan on Sunday?

Iris’s Gift will bid to emulate the mighty Istabraq next Thursday by winning Graded races at the Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown Festivals in the same season.

Pat Keane

CHARLIE SWAN has been booked to partner Liss A Paoraigh in the Bonusprint Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham on Thursday.

25 Irish-trained horses are running on day one of the Cheltenham National Hunt Festival, which has attracted more than more than 20,000 Irish punters to the town for the three-day event.

Ned Kelly's runaway AIG Europe Champion Hurdle victory at Leopardstown has seen him emerge as a true rival for Istabraq in this year's Smurfit Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Istabraq has won his fourth consecutive AIG Europe Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown.