McCoy keeps the faith

Tony McCoy is hoping Black Jack Ketchum can redeem his tarnished reputation with a big run in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

The Jonjo O’Neill-trained eight-year-old had his eight-race unbeaten streak curtailed in dramatic style at Cheltenham last week when a distant fifth in the Cleeve Hurdle.

“I don’t know what happened. Even if Black Jack isn’t as good as I thought he was, he’s still not that bad,” said McCoy.

“We beat Blazing Bailey so easily six weeks beforehand and even if they improve, can one improve that much and one go the other way that much? You would hope it wasn’t his true run.

“Hopefully the ground will dry out now and that will be a help to him and he can show his true colours,” he told At The Races.

Despite his Cheltenham defeat, Black Jack Ketchum remains the 5-4 favourite with the sponsors for the Festival showpiece.