The way appears to be clear for Andrew McNamara to maintain his partnership with the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle favourite Sizing Europe at Cheltenham after his boss, Edward O'Grady, indicated yesterday he will not be claiming the jockey in the day one festival highlight.
Uncertainty about riding arrangements for Irish jump racing's bright new star arose over the weekend when the O'Grady-trained Catch Me thrust himself into the Champion Hurdle picture too with a smooth victory in the Red Mills Trial at Gowran.
McNamara rode Catch Me to victory in a display that was good enough to have the O'Grady runner quoted as low as 14 to 1 with Paddy Power for the Champion Hurdle.
As O'Grady's stable jockey, McNamara could have been claimed to ride Catch Me at Cheltenham but he now looks to be free to team up with Sizing Europe.
"Subject to agreement from Catch Me's owner, I would assume that riding arrangements for the favourite would remain the same," O'Grady said.
It looks like the timing of Catch Me's return to form after a shock 2 to 11 flop at Thurles before Christmas could have worked out ideally for McNamara as the Red Mills Hurdle victory came three weeks after Sizing Europe's spectacular AIG demolition at Leopardstown.
"I think it will be all right," the 24-year-old jockey said yesterday. "I could be wrong but I would be fairly confident that Sizing Europe is the better of the two."
McNamara is in his first season riding in the high-profile post as the number one for O'Grady and 19 of his 41 winners this term have come from the Co Tipperary trainer.
They include a memorable treble on St Stephen's Day at Leopardstown when the partnership scored a treble highlighted by Sky's The Limit's Grade One victory in the Durkan New Homes Chase.
O'Grady confirmed yesterday that Sky's The Limit, who lost his unbeaten record this season when he tailed off fifth to J'y Vole in the PJ Moriarty Chase, will bypass the Cheltenham Festival and wait instead for the Powers Gold Cup at Fairyhouse over Easter.
Noel Meade has yet to saddle a winner since New Year's Day but the champion trainer has taken heart from some good performances over the weekend and yesterday confirmed the Red Mills runner-up, Jazz Messenger, will run next in the Champion Hurdle.
However, plans are less clear for Aitmatov, who was runner-up to Kazal in the Boyne Hurdle at Navan on Sunday.
"Three of mine ran well over the weekend and we had three seconds so we'd be a good bit happier about things," Meade said.
"Jazz will head for the Champion now. I don't know what we will do with Aitmatov. It's possible he could run in the three miler, or he might not go to Cheltenham at all."
Meade also confirmed his Royal Bond winner, Muirhead, to be on course for the festival where the Supreme is his likely target.
"He is in both the Supreme and the Ballymore Properties race but he will probably go for the Supreme. You'll not see him before Cheltenham. Things have gone to plan with him and it's so far, so good," he said.
Kazal will take his chance in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle and he will keep the cheekpieces that helped provoke a career-best performance in the Boyne Hurdle on Sunday.
"I think it was probably his best performance and the cheekpieces do seem to have sharpened him up.
"Barry (Geraghty) suggested them after he rode him at Gowran and it was something I'd been mulling over myself. They seem to focus his mind on the job," said trainer Eoin Griffin.
"The cheekpieces won't be coming off him now. Three miles will be right up his street and he will have no problem coming up the hill. The only thing that might stop us is fast ground," he added.
The good form shown by Jessica Harrington's horses has been a feature of the last couple of weeks and City Meaning could be the one to continue the hot-streak in the bumper at Punchestown today. However, the track will have to pass an 8am inspection due to the threat of a severe overnight frost.
City Meaning was a 33 to 1 shot on his debut at Leopardstown when only beaten a head by Endless Intrigue and there should be significant improvement for that. Willie Mullins's newcomer Sports Line is a likely threat as is Endless Intrigue's stable companion New Phase.
Equus Maximus returned from a long lay-off to finish eighth to Home Hunter at Naas and the Mullins runner should strip much sharper for that in the first division of the two-and-a-half-mile maiden hurdle.
Sivota has run into a couple of good ones in Peplum and Prince Erik on his last two starts but looks to have an easier task in the opening maiden hurdle today.
