Since it was Liverpool that produced the original super-sub there can hardly be a more appropriate favourite for today`s £60,000 John James McManus Memorial Hurdle than Youlneverwalkalone.
This race has traditionally been the seasonal start-off point for Istabraq and although the triple champion hurdler will be at Cork today, he will be confined to a parade before the race.
Instead the J P McManus colours will be carried by the possible heir to the throne in Youlneverwalkalone.
The six-year-old was the latest Irish novice hotpot to go down at the Cheltenham Festival but in hindsight that could help the horse mature into the type of runner that trainer Christy Roche always had full confidence he would be.
In hindsight, Youlneverwalkalone was never tested in his starts before the Supreme Novices Hurdle and he looked a callow inexperienced youth when asked to compete with Sausalito Bay and Best Mate.
He wasn`t asked to race again but the regard he is held in by connections is clear in how easily the decision was reached to bypass this race with Istabraq. Youlneverwalkalone is expected to successfully fill the breach.
Ranged against Youlneverwalkalone are regular Istabraq victims such as Knife Edge and the other good novice Moscow Flyer. Yet Youlneverwalkalone is bound to be coiled in readiness to come off the bench.
Istabraq`s big rival from last year was Limestone Lad who made a perfectly fine start to his new career over fences when scoring at Cork last weekend. He goes for a quick double in the £25,000 novice chase and even with the McManus-Roche represenatatvie Shannon Gale in the field Limestone Lad is hard to oppose.
The novice hurdle looks much less straightforward however. The horse with the highest rating is Penny Rich (113), the horse with the biggest reputation is possibly The Indispensable who has just a head in hand of Kapok on Punchestown form. The horse with possibly most to do on paper is Copernicus.
The latter shares topweight with Penny Rich yet is considerably lower in the ratings. Nevertheless, Pat Hughes`s horse made such a good impression when easily scoring over hurdles at the Listowel Festival that his proven ability to act on a testing surface could swing the event his way.
There is an intriguing clash in the three-year-old hurdle. Golden Storm made a deep impression when scoring at Listowel but then there has been no easier winner than Tate Tirol, who sluiced up at Gowran last week. With a Fairyhouse success also under his belt Tate Tirol concedes 4lbs today and that can be decisive.
