Brave Inca to head straight to Festival
The six-year-old gelding won a Grade One event at Leopardstown earlier this month and is entered in the Letheby & Christopher Supreme and Royal & SunAlliance Novices’ Hurdle on March 16 and 17 respectively.
Murphy said: “I’m leaning towards the SunAlliance Novices’ Hurdle but if the ground is very fast he won’t run.
“Before then he is unlikely to race although I may give him a gallop somewhere.
“He was entered for Naas last Sunday but I took him out because he wasn’t just right. He’s in good form now and I’m very happy with him.”
Brave Inca is a top-priced 12-1 chance for the Royal & SunAlliance Novices’ Hurdle. If he does not run at Cheltenham, Brave Inca has the choice of meetings at Aintree, Fairyhouse and Punchestown.
Meanwhile a total of 615 horses have been entered for the seven handicaps at the Festival.
Rhinestone Cowboy, who already holds entries for the Smurfit Champion Hurdle and bonusprint.com Stayers’ Hurdle, is one of 135 horses entered in the Coral Cup.
If taking up the handicap option, Rhinestone Cowboy’s amateur rider JP Magnier would be able to use his 5lb claim.
Hand Inn Hand and Royal & SunAlliance Novices’ Hurdle winners Hardy Eustace (2003) and Galileo (2002) are other eye-catching entries for the race.
The William Hill National Hunt Handicap Chase has attracted 73 entries, including recent AON Chase first and second, Shooting Light and Irish Hussar, Tripleprint Gold Cup hero Iris Royal, and Peter Bowen’s stable star Swansea Bay.
There are 114 entries for the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Chase for amateur riders, among them the 2002 winner The Bushkeeper, recent Newbury winner Joly Bey and Eider hero Tyneandthyneagain.
The Pertemps Final has 48 entries, including 12 from Ireland and 10 from champion trainer Martin Pipe’s stable.
Paddy Power Gold Cup winner Fondmort, 2003 Cathcart Chase heroine La Landiere and Iris Royal are among the 74 entries for the Mildmay Of Flete Challenge Cup.
There are 62 engaged in the Grand Annual Chase, including Victor Chandler Chase hero Isio and last year’s winner Palarshan.
The Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle brings the curtain down on proceedings on Thursday, March 18, and the ‘getting out stakes’ has 109 entries this year.
