Jaquouille heads market

The Paddy Power Chase : Last year's runner-up Jaquouille has been installed as a 6 to 1 favourite to go one better in next week…

The Paddy Power Chase: Last year's runner-up Jaquouille has been installed as a 6 to 1 favourite to go one better in next week's €190,000 Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown. The Arthur Moore-trained horse is a clear market leader for next Tuesday's Christmas handicap highlight for which a maximum field of 30 is likely to line up.

A total of 40 horses remain in the race after yesterday's forfeit stage and they include seven owned by the race's most successful owner JP McManus. Keepatem won for McManus last year and joined the 2003 winner World Wide Web, who is being lined up for another crack at this year's race, as well as Time For A Run who scored in 1997.

The Christy Roche-trained Lost Time is rated the best of the McManus team by the sponsors who make that horse a 10 to 1 joint second favourite. David Wachman's hope Knock Knock has been the ante-post gamble of the race and is now down to 12 to 1 having been as high as 40 to 1.

The reigning two-mile champion chaser Moscow Flyer remains on course to return to action in the Grade One Dial-A-Bet Chase where his opposition could include last year's winner Central House as well as Noel Meade's Watson Lake.

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A total of 16 horses remain in the Grade Two Future Champions Novice Hurdle which may see another clash between Iktitaf and O'Muircheartaigh, the first two from the Royal Bond Hurdle earlier this month. Another entry is the impressive Haydock winner Wanango (Tommy Stack).

PADDY POWER CHASE BETTING: 6 Jaquouille, 10 Lost Time, Prince Of Tara, A New Story, 12 Knock Knock, 14 Monterey Bay Pearly Jack, 16 World Wide Web, 20 Bar.

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor is the racing correspondent of The Irish Times. He also writes the Tipping Point column