Tony McCoy has revealed the horse he would most love to ride at next week’s Cheltenham Festival, with the legendary rider admitting he would relish the chance to partner one of the favourites in the Champion Chase.
Former Champion Jockey Eyes Fred Winter Inner
Speaking at a BOYLE Sports Cheltenham Preview night in Youghal, the former champion jockey said he believes Willie Mullins’ Majborough deserves the tag as one of the Irish bankers of the Festival.
“I’d pick Majborough in the Champion Chase,” said McCoy, when asked which horse he would most want to ride if he had one choice all week. “It is the best race to ride in. It's the most exciting if you’re riding a fast two-miler and as long as Paul Townend goes really fast on him from the start, he’ll win. If he had have gone really fast in the Arkle last year, he could have made all the mistakes in the world, he'd still have been far enough ahead, he'd have won that race.
“So I'd just bounce out and go flat out, because he's got such high cruising speed. He's just a better horse and if he makes the odd mistake, he's big and ignorant enough that he's been able to survive this long. Just give nothing else a chance to compete.”
Rookie Horse To Watch
McCoy also singled out a horse trained at his own yard by rookie handler Faye Bramley, with Winston Junior forwarded as one to watch if he lines up in the Fred Winter:
“I actually don't know where he’s going to run as they're not sure whether they want to go to the Triumph Hurdle. But if you think he's going to win the Triumph, then he'd definitely win the Fred Winter, wouldn't he? There's a lot of horses in the Fred Winter that are being laid out for it, but if Winston Junior runs, he’ll take a lot of beating.”
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