RACING:COLM Murphy is hopeful that decent ground conditions at Cheltenham next week will help Big Zeb retain his Queen Mother Champion Chase crown, writes Brian O'Connor.

The Co Wexford trainer has enjoyed remarkable festival success during his 10-year career to date and last year Big Zeb was following in the footsteps of Brave Inca who won both a Champion Hurdle and a Supreme in an illustrious career.

“I can’t wait to see him back on some nice ground, he loves it,” Murphy said yesterday. “Big Zeb is a different horse on better ground, absolutely.” That impressive past record at the meeting means Murphy is relishing the opportunity to return to Cheltenham where he also hopes to run Raise The Beat in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper and Quito De La Roque in the four-mile National Hunt Chase.

“I don’t know if there’s any more pressure going into this year. It’s nice pressure. It was the same with Brave Inca. It’s nice to be in this position,” he said.

Big Zeb is a general 3 to 1 second favourite for the Queen Mother Champion Chase behind the market leader, Master Minded. The latter’s owner Clive Smith nominated Big Zeb as his big danger yesterday and said: “Big Zeb is a very talented horse and if the going gets better it will suit him more. We’ll be doing very well to see him off but I hope we will.”