Racing: Tony McCoy is not worried about the lack of numbers for Brave Inca as he attempts to win the ACC Bank Champion Hurdle for the second successive year at Punchestown tomorrow.
A maximum field of five could go to post which would be the same number Colm Murphy's charge beat when getting home by a head from Harchibald 12 months ago.
That was the first time McCoy was in the saddle and he has won on him a total of five times out of six.
"The small field should not make a difference to him and it was a small enough field when he won it last year," said McCoy. "He's a class horse as you would expect for a Champion hurdle winner."
Murphy, however, is concerned about the ground drying out for his stable star.
Good going has been maintained at the Festival so far due to watering after racing but Murphy has stated he would consider pulling out Brave Inca should conditions become too quick.
"I just hope that the ground will be OK for him tomorrow," he said. "We've bypassed Aintree this year with the intention of keeping him fresh for this race so hopefully it will pay dividends.
"He's going there a pretty fresh horse but the ground doesn't want to get any quicker for him you know.
"I would have no qualms at all about pulling him out if the ground gets any quicker than it is at the moment."
The County Wexford handler reported the eight-year-old to be in good form.
"He seems in great order and I couldn't be happier with him," he added. "We've freshened him up since Cheltenham and he's in great nick."
The horse Brave Inca deposed as Champion Hurdler was Hardy Eustace who had won the previous two renewals at Cheltenham, however the former champion has had something of an interrupted season.
After winning on his seasonal reappearance at Punchestown, he than finished last in the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown when it was later revealed he was a sick horse.
Despite missing his prep run for Cheltenham, he ran with great credit to finish third and he has since gone on to finish second at Aintree behind Asian Maze.
And Dessie Hughes believes his charge should now be reaching his peak.
"He is in terrific form and is very well," said Hughes. "He has been to both Aintree and Cheltenham but he should be fresh enough and he will love the ground." PA