Kinane keen on festival ride
Top Flat rider Michael Kinane could make his Cheltenham Festival debut next month after being offered a ride in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper.
The 44-year-old, who is currently on a short-term contract in Hong Kong, has been asked to ride Blazing Liss for John Kiely in the March 17 event.
Kiely’s five-year-old is unbeaten in three starts this season and Kinane admits he is “very tempted” by the ride.
Kinane’s father, Tommy, won the 1978 Champion Hurdle on Monksfield and he told the Mail On Sunday: “As a boy I dreamed of Cheltenham but I’ve always been so busy abroad.
“Again, I can’t be sure. I could be in Hong Kong for the Derby on the Sunday.”
Kinane, a multiple champion jockey in Ireland, would be bidding to emulate fellow Flat rider Jamie Spencer, who partnered Pizarro to win the Bumper in 2002.
