Tony Martin may need to find a new jockey for She's Our Mare in next Saturday's Ladbroke Hurdle, it emerged yesterday. His seven-year-old's regular partner David Casey could be forced to miss the Leopardstown feature and go to Sandown instead.
Casey, in his first season with a retainer for Oliver Sherwood, has won five times from nine rides on the mare, including in the Powers Handicap Hurdle at Fairyhouse and Crowther Homes Swinton Hurdle at Haydock Park last spring.
'It's too early to say,' Sherwood said, when asked if his stable jockey would be required in Britain on Saturday. The stable have four horses in at Sandown.
She's Our Mare is quoted at 12 to 1 for the race by Ladbrokes and her trainer admitted that the sponsor's 7 to 1 favourite Knife Edge will be hard to beat.
Michael O'Brien's five-year-old would have been second to Istabraq at Leopardstown last week but for sprawling on landing over the last flight and Martin said: 'I think Knife Edge would have to be everyone's favourite.
'If he were mine I would be worried about what happened at the last but Michael O'Brien is a very good trainer and he won't run if he is not right.'
