McCoy Keeping Faith With Iris's

Tony McCoy insists Iris's Gift has every chance of success in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 17.

The grey is available at 20-1 to lift the blue riband despite falling in a public schooling session at Haydock and suffering the same fate in a novices' event at Warwick last month.

'He is a very talented horse but his jumping has been a bit disappointing,' McCoy told At The Races.

'When I won on him in October in a little novices' chase around Cheltenham he gave me as good a feel as any horse ever has done in respect to having to jump, gallop and stay.

'He has been disappointing since though. But if he is ever going to go for a Gold Cup he may as well go for it this year rather than any other and I think that is the reason the owner is very keen to go for the race. I certainly wouldn't try and put him off.

'You can't go out on him thinking that he is going to make a mistake at every fence.

'If I can manage to get him jumping well he would have to have every chance.'

? PA Sport