HORSE RACING: Riding arrangements often provide significant clues for punters. When we received the first list of declared runners from Horse Racing Ireland for yesterday's Navan meeting, John Oxx had left two fillies in the Kilcarn Maiden and Johnny Murtagh was down to ride Ebatana and Fran Berry was on Akdara.

As it transpired, Ebatana was balloted out and Murtagh then switched to Akdara.

It was a natural presumption that Murtagh would be on Ebatana in this afternoon's www.punchestown.com maiden, but instead he rides Oxx's other runner Brave Geronimo, who has had a run but finished some way back after making a slow start behind New South Wales at The Curragh.

That must have done him good and he may be too strong for Maid To Order, who was beaten a neck at Listowel by Kiteflyer, yet another of the Oxx two-year-olds.

With two defections, Eckbeag, the second reserve, could have taken her chance at Navan yesterday, but Jim Kavanagh has preferred to go for the Downshire Course Handicap where Pat Smullen is available, there being no Weld runner.

The Walking Sunday Nursery recalls one of the traditions of the National Hunt Festival here when for generations past the locals have walked the course on the Sunday beforehand. Paddy Mullins trained his first winner at Punchestown and his runner Academy Brief has the form to lay down a proper challenge.

In the jockeys' championship yesterday, Michael Kinane drew level on 69 with Murtagh after partnering a double aboard In The Limelight and Moonbi Ridge.

Kinane elected to make all on In The Limelight in the mile fillies maiden, and the daughter of Sadler's Wells was just pushed out from the furlong pole to beat Dimitrova by two lengths.

Murtagh earlier landed the mile and five furlongs maiden on the Newmarket Autumn Sales bound Hazarabad.