Mayo Hunting For Festival Double

Whyso Mayo is reported to be in rude health ahead of his bid for back-to-back Christie's Foxhunter Challenge Cups at the Cheltenham Festival.

Raymond Hurley's 10-year-old produced something of a shock at last year's amateur riders' Gold Cup when he landed odds of 20-1.

But he has since proven it was no fluke by winning at Punchestown, Thurles and Leopardstown and returns to Prestbury Park a 5-2 favourite with Coral to repeat the dose.

'He's in great form. He had a little rest after Leopardstown but he is back in full work,' said the County Cork-based handler.

'The Leopardstown race came up fairly quick after Thurles so he needed a little break after that but he's in great form at home and I couldn't be happier with him to be honest.

'It is a big ask to win any race back to back at the Festival but he is giving us all the right signs at home and it's all systems go.

'He's a real fighter and he seems to love a battle. He's got loads of ability and a very high cruising speed.

'He stays as well ? that's his forte ? but he's not a slow horse.

'I was expecting a big run from him last year and I wasn't surprised that he won.

'He ran at Leopardstown before Cheltenham and was going very well when he unseated Damian (Murphy) but he thought they would have won.

'He's going to be entered in the Irish National. We'll see how he comes out of Cheltenham first though.

'I'm going to go to a racecourse and school him over racecourse fences just once more before he runs and that is what we did last year as it just gets his eye in,' Hurley told At The Races.

(C) PA Sport