Walsh Not Fretting On Champion Ride

Ruby Walsh is still unsure whether he will be riding Desert Quest or Brave Inca in the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle, which takes place two weeks today.

Walsh is likely to come in for the ride on the reigning champion Brave Inca if, as expected, regular partner Tony McCoy is claimed to ride Straw Bear for his boss, JP McManus.

However, due to a long-standing arrangement with Paul Nicholls, the County Kildare-born jockey may have to ride Desert Quest if he takes his chance against the big guns, rather than than in the County Hurdle, for which he has been allotted top weight of 11st 12lb.

'I couldn't tell you if Desert Quest is likely to run as we haven't talked about the Champion Hurdle yet,' said Walsh.

'It's still two weeks away and there are loads of decisions to be made yet as to who will ride what. I'll worry about that in a fortnight.

'Brave Inca is a very straightforward horse. He's honest, he's tough, he jumps and he stays.

'Barry Cash was successful on him, Tony McCoy has been successful on him and so have I, he was only half-fit when Barry Geraghty rode him. He is dead straightforward, there is nothing difficult about him.

'He might take a bit of pushing, but lots of horses do that. You can make a horse work harder than he wants to if you want, but when I rode him he was straightforward.'

(C) PA Sport