Racing: There might be over two months to go until the Smurfit Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, but Ireland's bookmakers are already betting the home team may as well stay at home.
Paddy Power and Cashmans rate the chances of an Irish-trained horse winning the race at just 2 to 7, and the Cork firm report that the odds on an Irish clean sweep have tumbled dramatically in recent weeks from 10 to 1 to only 5 to 2.
"We will be very surprised if an Irish horse doesn't win," said a Powers spokesman yesterday. "But perhaps not that disappointed!"
Currently the first six horses in the betting for Cheltenham are Irish, an unprecedented level of dominance, and it looks like the majority of those will clash at Leopardstown on Sunday week in the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle.
Paddy Power have eased the Cheltenham market leader Harchibald to 3 to 1 joint-favouritism for Leopardstown, along with Macs Joy, who won the Bewleys Hotel Festival Hurdle at the track over Christmas. It's then 5 to 1 about Brave Inca and Hardy Eustace.
Sunday's Pierse Hurdle victor Essex has had his AIG price halved to 8 to 1, but initial reports suggest he is more likely to go for the Tote Gold Trophy at Newbury.
Brave Inca, however, is definitely bound for Leopardstown, and although his trainer, Colm Murphy, views it as "the next step to Cheltenham", there is considerable hope he can go one better than his Christmas second to Macs Joy.
"We were delighted with him that day and he is coming on for every run. Since then we couldn't have been happier with him," Murphy said yesterday.
The AIG will be run on the wider course, compared to the inside track used on the last day at Christmas and for the Pierse. Murphy feels that will benefit Brave Inca.
"As it is, Leopardstown is an easier track than Cheltenham anyway. Cheltenham is more like two-and-a-half, which would suit us more. So the AIG should be run more to our liking than the last day," he said.
One of the AIG entries is last year's winner, Foreman, but if that JP McManus-owned horse is to appear on Sunday week it will be in the Baileys Arkle Chase rather than in the big race. The French-trained horse was runner-up to the current Arkle favourite, Kauto Star, at Newbury on his last start and could deputise for Like-A-Butterfly at Leopardstown if that mare doesn't recover from the blood disorder that ruined her chances in the Durkan New Homes Chase at Christmas.
The Turf Club announced yesterday that the chase track at Fairyhouse is unraceable and that if things haven't changed ahead of Sunday's scheduled card the remaining races will be divided to make a six-race card.
In other news, the Godolphin team have confirmed the acquisition of last year's National Stakes runner-up, Berenson, who is now in training in Dubai.
Trained as a two-year-old by Tommy Stack, Berenson won his Curragh debut before doing best of the rest behind the impressive Godolphin colt Dubawi.
"Sheikh Mohammed liked the way he ran behind Dubawi and negotiations began shortly afterwards," said spokesman Simon Crisford. "He is with us in Dubai but is not doing much at the moment. He is entered in all the obvious races but it's too early to say if he will run in a trial in the spring."
CHAMPION HURDLE - Paddy Power bet: 3 Harchibald, Macs Joy, 5 Brave Inca, Hardy Eustace, 7 Accordion Etoile, Solerina, 8 Essex, 12 Bar.
