WEEKEND PREVIEWS:IRELAND'S ALREADY powerful squad for Tuesday's Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle was added to even further yesterday when Bobs Pride earned his Cheltenham ticket with an impressive piece of work on the Curragh.
Dermot Weld confirmed the former Group Three flat winner will take his chance in the big race and will be ridden by Denis O'Regan. The Cork-born jockey has successfully teamed up with Weld in the past including when landing the Galway Plate on Ansar.
"I was very pleased with the way he went and he's entitled to take his chance. He was only two and a half lengths off Harchibald at Dundalk which was his first run for a long time and he will improve for that," said Weld.
"We hope to get good ground for him as he is a real top-of-the-ground spring horse."
The top flat trainer will have two other runners at next week's festival with Paul Carberry teaming up with Majestic Concorde in Wednesday's Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle.
Tony McCoy will be on board Prince Erik when that one takes his chance in Tuesday's Fred Winter Juvenile Novices' Handicap Hurdle.
Ruby Walsh has been confirmed as the rider of De Valira in the Champion Hurdle but it is Sizing Europe who continues to dominate the ante-post betting for the day one feature and is a general 2 to 1 favourite.
The north county Dublin trainer Ado McGuinness will be hoping for a maiden festival success in Friday's JCB Triumph Hurdle with the main Irish hope Beau Michael but he travels across-channel today with his stable stalwart Victram who bids to repeat his 2006 success in the Sunderlands Imperial Cup at Sandown.
However, the former Irish Lincoln winner, to be ridden by Andrew Lynch, faces a stiff task against a strong field that includes the David Pipe-trained Ashkazar who could attempt to emulate last year's Imperial Cup-Fred Winter double completed by Gaspara.
Other Irish interest at Sandown today will centre on Tom Taaffe's Supreme Ruler who lines up for the Grade Three novice handicap hurdle worth £60,000. Supreme Ruler was beaten at Fontwell early last month but boasts a defeat of the smart Cheltenham hope Jered at Punchestown in November.
In other news, the Tote have announced a new partnership with Down Royal racecourse to enhance that track's own Tote facilities, starting on St Patrick's Day.
"We are delighted to add Down Royal to the growing number of Irish, UK and international meetings that our customers can bet on," said the Tote chief executive Alexis Murphy.
"Down Royal will retain responsibility for its racecourse operations whilst we will make betting at Down Royal available to all our customers."
Some of the country's leading jockeys aren't sitting on the sidelines ahead of next week's festival and the trio of Andrew McNamara, Davy Russell and Barry Geraghty are booked to ride in today's Beginners Chase at Gowran Park.
Russell is on the 124-rated Publican who has proved a frustrating sort to follow over fences. McNamara's mount Boleybawn Quikstar is rated 10lb lower but has two nice runs behind Clopf and Scotsirish to his credit recently.
Russell could have better luck in the second maiden hurdle where he teams up with Tom Mullins's Whatdoyouthinkmac. The eight-year-old returned to action with a good third at Punchestown recently and should go close.
