Walsh happy to starve for Granit chance

Nov 17 2007 by Chris Wright, Liverpool Daily Post

RUBY WALSH is happy to waste away in his bid to win a first Paddy Power Gold Cup Chase at Cheltenham this afternoon.

The Irish jockey must do the minimum weight of 10st in order to ride Paul Nicholls’ favourite Granit Jack in feature of the Chelteham Open meeting, which got off to such a wonderful start yesterday with Spot Thedifference’s seventh success at Prestbury Park in the BGC Cross Country Chase.

As a 14-year-old JP McManus’s veteran is a Cheltenham favourite and the biggest cheer of joys and relief yesterday the was when he rose to his feet after slipping following his emotional victory.

At the other end of the scale Nicholls’s grey will make his British chasing debut after just creeping in to the 20-runner Paddy Power field on 10st.

Granit Jack was second in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, but has won several chases in his native France.

And Walsh is happy to waste down to ride a horse who has limitless potential.

Walsh said: “I won’t be too far away from the weight, although I’d say the first time I’ll have a full Irish breakfast will be Sunday morning. He’s been working and schooling very well and Paul says he has him in great nick.

“This is his first run over these fences and he’s back over two and a half miles, but he’s won over the trip in France so you’d have to be hopeful he’ll stay.

“He’s streetwise too, but of course it’s a tough race.”

Ferdy Murphy, who saddled third home New Alco last year, is double-handed as he bids to go one or two better with L’Antartique and Three Mirrors. He said: “L’Antartique has been really good since his race at Carlisle. We’ve been very happy with him and everything’s gone well.

“He seemed to handle the hurly burly of the Festival (when winning the Jewson Novices’ Handicap Chase) all right. It will probably be more testing for him tomorrow but then again he’s had another run under his belt, which will help.”

WEEKEND NAPS: TODAY: L'Antartique (2.35pm Cheltenham). TOMORROW: Leslingtaylor (1.10pm Cheltenham).