Ireland might have had a record-breaking Cheltenham 2005 but with less than two months to go to this year's festival the bookmaker view is the visitors won't do as well this time.

Instead of last season's tally of nine winners, the general view among layers is that Irish-trained horses face a harder task this round and it is the six-winner tally that is favourite at a general 4 to 1.

The recent casualty list of star names that includes Kicking King and Harchibald has contributed to a certain lack of confidence in the Irish team but those who believe another magic nine will come up can get 11 to 1.

"We have taken into account that Kicking King and Harchibald are out and that Moscow Flyer is not nearly as fancied as he was last year," the Cashmans spokesman Joseph Burke said yesterday. "But there have still been queries because people seem to think that the price on nine winners is quite big." Paddy Power can't separate the five, six and seven winner totals and make each their 9 to 2 co-favourites.

"We were hit by this last year. We initially went 9 to 1 about eight or more winners and by the time of the first race were down to 7 to 2. We must have lost about 30,000 on the market so we are being a little bit more conservative this time," said a spokesman.

Moscow Flyer's ante-post price for the Queen Mother Champion Chase was shortened after Studmaster's victory in the Pierse Hurdle signalled a return to form for the Jessica Harrington stable.

Studmaster himself is likely to go next for the Totesport Gold Trophy at Newbury on February 11th but general discontent among Irish trainers at the weights issued by the British handicapper compared to their marks here looks to have claimed another big name.

The Pierse runner-up No Where To Hyde was initially made ante-post favourite for the Newbury contest but his trainer Christy Roche all but ruled the horse out of the race yesterday.

"After looking at the revised weights, who wants to go where you are not welcome?" said Roche. Another trainer who has expressed dismay at the discrepancy between British and Irish ratings is Paul Nolan, who is worried at the higher mark awarded to his mare Escrea for the Newbury race.

PADDY POWER: Up to 3 winners: 4/1, 4 - 5/1, 5 - 9/2, 6 - 9/2, 7 - 9/2, 8 - 7/1, 9+ - 11/1.

CASHMANS: 0 winners - 100/1, 1 - 16/1, 2 - 7/1, 3 - 11/2, 4 - 9/2, 5 - 9/2, 6 - 4/1, 7 - 5/1, 8 - 9/1, 9 - 11/1, 10+ - 16/1.