Sport

Swan moves on to Court

In a surprise move, Charlie Swan will ride the favourite, Commanche Court, in Saturday's Ladbroke Hurdle at Leopardstown

Thu Jan 08 1998 - 00:00

In a surprise move, Charlie Swan will ride the favourite, Commanche Court, in Saturday's Ladbroke Hurdle at Leopardstown. With Richard Dunwoody and Tony McCoy committed to ride at Sandown, Garrett Cotter was expected to ride Commanche Court. However, yesterday Swan managed to get off Aidan O'Brien's Toast The Spreece to take the ride.

"Aidan and the owners were very good about it. Toast The Spreece goes on a cut in the ground but any time he has run on the real heavy, he has been beat. Commanche Court looks well handicapped though," Swan said.

Cotter will now partner 33 to 1 chance All The Vowels.

Swan's booking heightened confidence in the favourite. Coral cut his odds to 4 to 1 (from 5 to 1) and are offering 300 to 1 against him pulling off a Ladbroke, Tote Gold Trophy, Champion Hurdle treble.

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He has already been backed at 25 to 1 to pull off the Ladbroke-Tote double.

Second favourite Graphic Equaliser was the other market mover. He is now 6 to 1 (from 8 to 1) with the sponsors, 7 to 1 with Coral and 8 to 1 with William Hill.

Cotter, 21, had been looking forward to partnering Commanche Court, who he has schooled but never ridden in a race.

"Of course I'm very disappointed but I still wish the horse all the best," he reacted. "Hopefully All The Vowels will run respectably. He is nicely handicapped."

The weights will not rise now that Theatreworld is a confirmed starter with Graham Bradley aboard. Dean Gallager is to partner Desert Mountain, one of five likely British-trained runners.

Fishin Joella, one of the gambles of the race, is "very doubtful" and unlikely to recover in time from a recent setback. But trainer Noel Meade, who won the race in 1993 with Glencloud, still expects to be represented by Advocat.

Officials at Leopardstown were "very optimistic" yesterday that racing will go ahead on Saturday. Tom Burke, racing manager at the track, said: "The going is currently heavy but we are okay at the moment.

"The forecast is for some more rain followed by high winds. The winds are due on Thursday night and Friday morning and they will help but we still expect to be heavy on Saturday. We are very optimistic of racing going ahead."