Richard Johnson© Photo Healy Racing
Neil King has turned to champion jockey Richard Johnson as super-sub for his stable star Lil Rockerfeller in the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown on Thursday.
Regular rider Trevor Whelan is unable to ride after fracturing his collarbone and damaging his shoulder while exercising on his bicycle.
It is a blow for the King team as Whelan has struck up a great rapport with Lil Rockerfeller, having ridden the six-year-old in all bar one of his last 12 starts, including in last month's Stayers' Hurdle, where he put up a career-best effort at Cheltenham when only beaten three-quarters of a length by Nichols Canyon.
"The only disappointment is that Trevor doesn't ride. He had his fitness work on Sunday morning. Unfortunately he hit a kerb and came off his bike," said King.
"He has fractured his collarbone and put his shoulder out so the only good news is that we've got a decent substitute in Richard Johnson."
King resisted the temptation to run Lil Rockerfeller at Aintree to save him for this test and reports his stable star to be in rude health ahead of his big test.
"He's in great form. We said after Cheltenham that we'd bypass Aintree as we think Punchestown will suit him better and it would give him more time to get over his exertions at Cheltenham," he said.
Lil Rockerfeller has to take on Nichols Canyon in his own backyard this time as Willie Mullins' multiple Grade One winner seeks to complete the English/Irish Stayers' Hurdle double.
A massive bonus is up for grabs were he to win the Iroquois Hurdle in America in which he was third last year but Mullins is taking it one race at a time.
"He's in good order. We are going to focus on Punchestown for now and will think about a possible trip back to America for him after that," said Mullins.
"I was very happy with how he came out of Cheltenham."
Jockey Ruby Walsh admitted being taken aback by how Nichols Canyon lasted out the three miles at Cheltenham on only his second attempt at the distance and feels he can now ride the horse with more confidence in future.
"It's a really good race. You have the four of the first five from the Stayers' Hurdle (at Cheltenham), add in Sutton Place and Footpad. It's a cracking renewal," Walsh told Racing UK.
"He probably surprised me with the amount of stamina he showed. He stayed really well to win, but he's also been a genuine Grade One horse. He won any amount of them as a novice and he won two Morgianas and was the only horse to have beaten Faugheen.
"He's always had the ability and maybe he just wanted the trip. He saw it out really well in Cheltenham and it opened up the doors for me to ride any kind of race on him on Thursday."
Nichols Canyon is one of four horses declared by Mullins along with Clondaw Warrior, Shaneshill and Footpad, who was fourth in the Champion Hurdle.
