Leopardstown Preview: At this stage of his remarkable career it's virtually impossible to come up with new superlatives for Brave Inca.
Six Grade One winners, as well as one of the favourite's for the Triumph Hurdle, might be waiting in ambush in tomorrow's AIG Europe Champion Hurdle, but boil it all down and the Leopardstown highlight still looks to be about only Brave Inca and Tony McCoy.
The reigning champion hurdler's ability to grind any opposition into submission has become a racing byword, and sometimes has disguised the raw class of a real star performer.
Ironically, that class revealed itself in more impressive style than ever before when Ruby Walsh took over the reins at Christmas.
With McCoy's commitments to JP McManus keeping him in Britain, Brave Inca travelled noticeably well through that race and repelled Iktitaf in a manner that for him could almost be described as casual.
McCoy is back on board tomorrow and will attempt to improve on his sparkling record of six wins from eight rides on board Colm Murphy's star.
With the McManus-owned Straw Bear still prominent in the betting for Cheltenham, it's not certain if McCoy will be available to ride Brave Inca in March, so he will be doubly anxious to make the most of this chance to team up with one of his favourite horses.
The good news yesterday was that Murphy believes Brave Inca might even be in slightly better shape for this AIG than the one last year when he beat off Macs Joy, who has his first start in nine months this weekend.
"I was delighted with the way he travelled and jumped the last day and I think he is further forward this year than he has ever been," Murphy said. "He feels good and seems in great order. The ground drying out a bit will be in his favour."
There was also an acknowledgement yesterday from one of the favourite's biggest rivals that this AIG will primarily revolve around Brave Inca.
Champion trainer Noel Meade throws both Iktitaf and the impressive Kempton winner Jazz Messenger into the fray, but said: "It's a fantastic race but I think the horse that beats Brave Inca will probably win. He just keeps pulling out that bit more."
Iktitaf will prefer the better ground than the glue he faced during Christmas, but the same comment also applies to his old rival. Jazz Messenger's suspect jumping stood up at Kempton, but this will be a different assignment, while the suspicion remains that Asian Maze's best trip is two-and-a-half rather than two.
Hardy Eustace has looked more like his old self this season, and yet the former champion's CV tells us it's March rather than January that suits him best.
The unknown quantity is the sole four-year-old, Lounaos. However, this is a very different standard of AIG to the one that was pulled by the last juvenile winner, Nordic Surprise in 1991.
Hide The Evidence represents top-class novice form, but when it comes down to championship races like this, it's usually best to rely on the known quantities. And none is known better these days than Brave Inca.
