RACING:Brave Inca will try and use his trademark battling qualities to justify favouritism and end a two-year losing stretch in the Toshiba Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown on Sunday.
Injury has limited Colm Murphy’s 11-year-old to just five starts since Christmas 2006, but the gutsy warrior has shown the fire still burns bright with two gritty displays this term.
And after a week of wet weather, bookmakers are favouring him to exact his revenge on December Hurdle winner Sublimity after he relegated Brave Inca back to third during the Festive period.
Murphy said: “All has gone well with him since his run at Christmas so I am very happy with him.
“With the way the ground has gone I guess people have looked and thought he will go on it and backed him because of that.
“It will be a tough race in the conditions. It will be very testing on Sunday but he should relish it.
“The ground will make up for a lot on Sunday and if it comes to a real test, then it will play to his strengths.”
Brave Inca has twice finished runner-up in the race in addition to winning in 2006 — the same year he responded to strong driving and claimed the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
That race could yet feature on his radar, and Murphy said: “He is entered in the Champion Hurdle and the Ladbrokes World Hurdle and Sunday will dictate which way he goes.”
Murphy saddles three of the 10 runners, and of Allez Petit Luis and Swiftmarc, he added: “I entered the other two thinking the race may cut up with the ground the way it is, and I hoped they could pick up some prize money.
“I was surprised how many runners there are, but we’re very lucky as they both like to be up with the pace and ridden confidently.”
The current heavy ground would be far from ideal for 2007 Champion Hurdle winner Sublimity, but rookie trainer Robbie Hennessy and jockey Philip Carberry believe his radiant well-being will see him through.
Hennessy said: “I just had a phone call from someone at Leopardstown who tells me there is a lovely breeze there and that the sun is shining.
“That is great news and although they are giving the ground as heavy there could be a chance it will dry to soft by Sunday.
“Philip was down to ride work on him on Tuesday, and I said to him the last thing I wanted was for him to have a tussle with Brave Inca from four furlongs out and be off the bridle.
“Philip said that he felt so good in his work that he wouldn’t be off the bridle four furlongs out, and that made up our minds to run.”
Sublimity notched up a second Grade One victory at Leopardstown over Christmas, and provided Hennessy with a first-ever career success when seeing off Won In The Dark.
That run also promoted him to 10-1 second-favouritism for Cheltenham in March.
Hennessy added: “”He is in really good form and only came off the bridle after jumping the last at Christmas. He didn’t really do much and often does more on the gallops.
“We have six and a half weeks between Sunday and Cheltenham. We’ll freshen him up and give him a few days off and hope to be back on the track in March.”
Hardy Eustace is making his fifth consecutive appearance in the race with a record of third (2005), last (2006), first (2007) and second (2008).
The 12-year-old disappointed behind Sublimity last month when trainer Dessie Hughes failed to put his finger on the problem.
“There’s not much explanation as to why he ran so bad except but he was very quiet in himself so there must have been something wrong,” said the Co Kildare handler.
“We think he’s as good as he was on his last couple of runs before that. He runs well in this race and he has a good record in it.
“The ground could be worse not better if it dries out a bit, it’s horrible, but there’s only so many races he can run in so he’s taking his chance.”
December Hurdle fourth Muirhead again takes his chance along with the seventh home that day River Liane, while Silent Oscar will be having his first start since denying Macs Joy at the 2007 Punchestown Festival.