A.P.Mcoy LIVE Cheltenham preview from Sandown

Also at Sandown's post-racing Cheltenham Festival preview. With McCoy is  Nicholls, Henderson

Henderson says his only concern re My Tent is the final hill, "different to anything he's done before"

Henderson adds that Puffin Billy is another concern for him, now that he's expected to run in the Supreme

McCoy says he gave Overturn a chance of giving Simonsig a race in the Arkle on good ground. On soft, he thinks S just has to jump round

Zarkandar another who "worked great" this morning, Nicholls says. Testing ground will be "absolutely ideal"

McCoy accepts that Binocular (which he rode) and Hurricane Fly were held up too far back last year in the Champion

McCoy: "I would like it to have been drier for Binocular" because his quick jumping is more of an asset on good

Henderson: "I won't say we haven't had our blips with Grandouet but his last 10 days have been good"

Nicholls: "Overturn made the race for Rock On Ruby last year. There's no Overturn this year. He's got it all to do"

Henderson: "I think we've got to accept it's going to be soft and that's not going to help us" in the Champion Hurdle

Henderson is pressed + pressed by Nick Luck to express a preference for one of his in the Champion. Eventually goes for Binocular...

but to be honest, he didn't appear in deadly earnest at the time. He basically didn't want to split them

Nicholls says Ruby Walsh rides Unioniste in the RSA. "Ruby's very keen on him," he says

Henderson + Nicholls say they've both heard rumours that Dynaste will go for Jewson, not RSA. But Nicholls says Pipe has not decided yet

McCoy puts in a good word for Goulanes in RSA because he stays so well. "This race will be won by an out-and-out stayer"

McCoy says he wouldn't be surprised if Sizing Europe + Cue Card ran in the 2m Champion Chase because of testing ground

Andy Stewart: "Sprinter Sacre is the biggest certainty since Ben Hur". Nicholls accepts that everyone else is playing for 2nd place

tizzard said cue card will only run in the champion chase if sprinter sacre misses the race

Sounds as if the ground is going to be soft than I expected. Has Andy Stewart said anything about Tataniano?

cheers AD keep em coming

has the ground really changed that much 3 days ago there was none of this

it will be beautiful jumping ground I am certain of that, fresh, unraced on, turned, spiked, good growth of grass, not watered artificially... perfect, bet it rides really well

7mm yesterday Howdi, soft all over.

McCoy + Nicholls both feel First Lieutenant should run in the Ryanair

Nicholls says Ghizao could be 3rd or 4th in Ryanair if everything falls right

Henderson says Finians Rainbow is in tremendous form but may not run this week because of the soft ground

Henderson says Riverside Theatre didn't win the Ryanair last year, Barry Geraghty did. But hopes RT is back to his best for this year's race

Henderson: "Ulcers can affect a horse quite considerably." Riverside's have been treated + gone since last run

Riverside is a shocking price for the Ryanair, no recent form, had ulcers, hated the track last year. Can't see him beating several horses with outstanding course form.

Nicholls says Ruby Walsh has committed to Wonderful Charm in the World Hurdle. Reports RW told him Quevega won't run

Nicholls on Wonderful Charm: "He'll run a big race. Whether he'll stay, we don't know"

McCoy says Get Me Out Of Here would have had a chance in the World on good but doesn't fancy him on soft. Solwhit the value, he says

Henderson: "They will have a Ryanair Hurdle one day but the problem is, Oscar Whisky will be 22 and I'll be 104"

horses that have run in a champion hurdle before have terrible records in the world hurdle, may not have had a winner, so peddlars, OW, Celestial Halo all unlikely winners

Nomadic Way ?

Mysilv got beat a whisker. Where does this "terrible record" come from ?

Henderson says he's "not particularly" looking forward to Oscar Whisky this week. Drier ground would have helped "close the gap" on RDS

Henderson says Oscara Dara will now run in the World Hurdle, not the Coral Cup

I looked it up, the numbers were terrible, not that I retained them in my mind but it was bad reading for anyone backing them

just saying, don't have to believe me

Henderson will run Cash And Go in the Coral Cup. Same owner has Wonderful Charm, which is now in the World

Nick Luck says Far West is not that big. Nicholls corrects him. "He's a proper horse. Ruby's going to ride him"

Probably the same place as where Irish Horses have terrible records in the Triumph, despite two of them finishing 2nd in the last two renewals. Who knows, on Tuesday afternoon we might be saying Unaccompanied got beat by a Champion Hurdler in her renewal, Zark or Grandouet.

feel free to back any of them then, I won't be though

chris cook‏@claimsfive

Some cheeky byplay between Nicholls + Henderson as to who has better horse on collateral form in the Triumph

Henderson says Vasco Du Ronceray will run in the Triumph. Nicholls says Irish Saint will not

McCoy on Triumph: "The top 3 look head and shoulders above the rest. If I had to pick one, Far West"

Nicholls says Irish horses have "a fair bit to do" in Gold Cup, from Tidal Bay / Bobs Worth form

agree top 3 look tasty horses

rolling star gonna love it

I won't either,Judorick. Just can't think of many who have tried other than the two I've mentioned.

Nicholls on Silviniaco Conti: "We're not going there thinking, we're going to win it, we're going there thinking, we've got a great chance"

Henderson says the Gold Cup is an open door inviting someone to come through it and be a star

nicholls does not even know the form book

SDC was 3/4 length behind TB at the line and in front two strides after so there is nothing in the form at all with BW getting 6lb from TB

a bit to do maybe but very little really and only SDC is a realistic challenger

Henderson on Sir Des Champs: "Watching him in Ireland, I did think his jumping was a bit slipshod". Thinks he wants better ground

Henderson on Sir Des Champs: "Watching him in Ireland, I did think his jumping was a bit slipshod". Thinks he wants better ground

McCoy says Long Run will be there at the last bend + just a question if he's good enough from there. Is the most reliable runner

McCoy says Sir Des Champs a better horse on better ground, which is why First Lieutenant might yet run in the Gold Cup

Big Paddy Power( bit of trivia..Nephew of one of the founders) offers £500 charity bets to each panellist

Andy Stewart best bet: £500 win Du Rheu in the Fred Winter,

Paul Nicholls reports Ruby Walsh "very sweet" on Saphir Du Rheu. His best bet is Sam Winner in the Pertemps

Sam Winner has 2 stone is hand

McCoy best bet: Taquin Du Seuil in the Neptune

Asked for a best handicapper at the Festival, McCoy says "I haven't got any". Then picks Alderwood. He thinks it runs in Grand Annual

Henderson best bet: Rolling Star in the Triumph. Handicapper: Ma Filleule in the Martin Pipe. Not definite to make the cut yet

thinly veiled 'Ruby prefers mine to Willie's' subtext running throughout this from Nicholls

Nick Luck asked NH for the pick of his in Grand Annual says French Opera.
N Luck: "You said Anquetta in Glasgow!"
Henderson replies: "Yes but we couldn't hear a dicky-bird, they were all p1ssed"

McCoy says Alfie Sherrin needs a decent surface + may not run this week, the owner told him today

BETFAIR
-All races will be commission-free at Cheltenham on Tuesday.

Jessica Harrington‏@Jessica_Racing

Horses on route to @CheltenhamRaces can't wait for the start of the festival

Claisse "confident" that Cheltenham Festival will start on soft

And that's yer lot, going for a lie down in a dark room now

Thanks to Chris Cook from the Guardian.co.uk for the tweets

chris cook‏@claimsfive

Thanks for doing this thread, AD.

You are a star!

Cheers - enjoyed the thread

Asked for a best handicapper at the Festival, McCoy says "I haven't got any". Then picks Alderwood. He thinks it runs in Grand Annual



that's because you will be riding one of the top weight cloggers in most handicaps, while JP gets jiggy backing his 3rd choice horse

Judorick - what on earth are you talking about?

SDC was NOT ahead of Tidal Bay two strides after the line in the Lexus. I'm not sure why you are trying to mislead people. Perhaps you are suffering from the dreaded confirmation bias now that conditions are not going to be favouring the horse that you have consistently stated will 'gag up', 'pi$$ up', 'hack up', and 'win by half the track' in the Gold Cup.

A truly sorry state of affairs that you are trying to mislead punters who are perhaps unable to watch the Lexus replay.

REPLAY

LEXUS Leopardtown 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-__CqnyK7Oo

Have to agree with fivebagken, Sir Des Champ only got up to Tidal Bay because Ruby was standing up on Tidal Bay bringing him to a canter

SDC was NOT ahead of Tidal Bay two strides after the line in the Lexus

thats a fact for sure

Maybe Betfair will allow me to post this link for ONE NIGHT ONLY

http://cheltenham.olbg.com/

i wonder will judo be on soon with his usual foul mouthed attack on people who don't agree with him

McCoy is one of these folk who you can get more out of by what he doesn't say.

Hmmmm no sign of the great one - in the presence of whom we should all feel so humble - to apologise for his genuine mistake (at best) or malicious attempt to mislead people and ramp the price of his equine idol (at worst).

Perhaps he will be along shortly to tell us all to 'phuck off'. Lovely stuff.

Paddy Power chap stated he cannot see past Hurricane Fly in the Champion Hurdle. Paddy Power offer money back, on all losers if Hurricane Fly wins the Champion Hurdle, so he's not telling the truth of what the company think.

Henderson: "They will have a Ryanair Hurdle one day but the problem is, Oscar Whisky will be 22 and I'll be 104"

Maths not his strong point then.

Telling the truth about his horses, is not his strongest point either, he said nothing whatsoever about any of his horses, last evening, apart from the obvious.