The Smurfit Champion Hurdle may not have been blown wide open by Istabraq's dramatic last-flight fall on Sunday but it sure isn't the fait accompli the bookies would have had us believe.
The triple champion hurdler was pushed right out to evens from 4 to 7 by Cashmans and the tumble is likely to force Aidan O'Brien into a late change of plan and run Istabraq in the AIG Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown later this month.
"It would be hard to go to Cheltenham off that," O'Brien conceded. "I will talk to JP (McManus) and we'll see in a couple of weeks about the AIG."
Apart from that, O'Brien didn't seem particularly gutted by Istabraq's first fall in his 25 hurdles starts and just his fourth ever defeat. There wasn't even too much disappointment that the fall didn't come from a champion who had his field strung out behind him and hit the deck due to boredom of winning too easily.
Instead, the general consensus was that Istabraq looked beaten when he stepped at the last flight of the AIB December Festival Hurdle, caught the top of it and took a heavy fall.
"He is heavier today than he has ever been. Everyone gets heavier as they get older and he wasn't at a peak today. The idea is for him to peak at Cheltenham. and whereas normally he is anxious in the parade ring, today he was just plodding around," excused O'Brien, who was just thankful the horse appeared to escape injury.
There had been four in a line at the obstacle and Moscow Flyer, who looked beaten on the turn-in, rallied best of all on the atrocious ground to beat Stage Affair and Mantles Prince. That provoked a cut to 20 to 1 for the winner's Champion Hurdle price and the British Tote gave Stage Affair a dramatic cut to 8 to 1 for the championship.
Istabraq had been in the wars as early as the fourth last when he appeared to jump into the back of Aerleon Pete, but Charlie Swan reported: "He still feels as good as ever. The ground was very bad but I thought he would have picked up again after the last. If he would have picked up enough I don't know."
The AIG is the definite plan for the both Moscow Flyer and Stage Affair.
O'Brien ruled out any pre-Cheltenham trip to Britain for Istabraq but Rince Ri is set to travel to Cheltenham at the end of the month for a possible clash with the other Gold Cup contenders, See More Business and Marlborough, in the Pilar Chase.
Rince Ri's second successive Ericsson Chase victory saw Paddy Power cut his Gold Cup price to just 10 to 1 after a dour winning battle over Dorans Pride and Nick Dundee, who ran a fine race on just his second start since returning from injury.
The favourite, Native Upmanship, briefly looked set to grab the winning initiative on the turn in but faded badly to fourth, while Dorans Pride's rider, Paul Hourigan, received a two-day whip form the stewards.
Bannow Bay's next start will also be at Cheltenham but at the festival itself in March when the Stayers' Hurdle will be the target. Christy Roche confirmed the plan following Bannow Bay's impressive four-length defeat of Slaney Native in the Woodies DIY Hurdle which earned the winner an initial 10 to 1 quote for Cheltenham.
Charlie Swan took the ride on Bannow Bay, and Istabraq's stable companion, Kilcash Castle, helped banish some more of the rider's post-Istabraq blues when a smooth winner of the maiden hurdle, a performance that earned him a 10 to 1 quote from Cashmans for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.
Cheltenham is not on Over The Furze's agenda after successfully completing John Berry's William Neville & Sons Novice Chase plan by beating Rose Of Inchquin and the other joint favourite, Arctic Copper.
Kapok earned a crack at the £100,000 Pierse Handicap Hurdle at Leopardstown on Sunday week when landing the Fairyhouse Handicap Hurdle for Tipperary trainer Edward O'Grady at Fairyhouse yesterday.
Enterprisingly ridden by 20-year-old Neil Mulholland, he foiled a gamble on the favourite, Creux Noir. The 5 to 1 chance was following up a creditable third in a 20runner handicap at Cheltenham a month ago behind Ferrers.
O'Grady reportedt Nick Dundee in good shape after his third at Leopardstown on Sunday behind Rince Ri in the Ericsson Chase.
