Cheltenham Countdown: Ruby Walsh and Tony McCoy differ on whether Vautour will stay

In the past 24 hours the main social media streams have been alive with rumours Vautour will head to the Ryanair Chase rather than the Gold Cup. With little expectation of immediate confirmation from the stable, it remains pure speculation, but is there a credible source?

Could it have been fuelled by jockey Ruby Walsh’s assertion, at a Cheltenham Preview night at the Keadeen Hotel last week, that he would spend the next fortnight pleading with Willie Mullins and owner Rich Ricci to run the horse in the shorter race?

“I think the Ryanair Chase is probably the weakest race of the Festival, and I would dearly love Vautour to run because I wouldn’t have to choose between him and Djakadam in the Gold Cup,” Walsh told host Oli Bell.