Racing: O'Brien's Holly dies

GIVE IT HOLLY, Aidan O'Brien's hope for the Champion Bumper, has been destroyed after breaking a leg on the gallops yesterday morning. The five-year-old, owned by JP McManus, was O'Brien's sole entry in the pounds 30,000 race, the final contest of the Cheltenham Festival's second day, for which he was listed at 8-1 fourth favourite with the bookmakers Coral.

"He broke a leg this morning," O'Brien said. "He was just doing his last piece of work. It's terrible."

The trainer's Cheltenham team is now reduced to three: Istabraq and Theatreworld in the Champion Hurdle and Le Coudray in the Stayers' Hurdle.

The latter was yesterday well backed for the Stayers' and is now a best- priced 11-4 with the Tote, having been freely available at 7-2 at the start of the morning. Ladbroke and Coral now have the gelding at 9-4 in the market, ahead of deposed market leader Lady Rebecca.

A prolific winner in France, the five-year-old was bought by JP McManus for an undisclosed six-figure sum and trotted up on his only race so far for new connections, slamming Limestone Lad at Naas by 20 lengths.Martin Pipe's Golden Alpha, winner of a bumper at Newbury last month, is 5-1 favourite for the Champion Bumper with Coral, who yesterday cut the Noel Meade-trained Ingonish to 8-1 fourth choice in the betting from 12-1.

Klairon Davis, winner of the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 1996, will miss next week's renewal. Arthur Moore's 10-year-old had looked back to his best when beating Opera Hat in January and was 14-1 with William Hill to regain his crown. However, he was found to have an irregular heartbeat after a gallop yesterday.

Another absentee will be the Paul Nicholls-trained Rockforce, who had been a consideration for the Arkle Trophy.

The gelding had landed three novice chases for the Shepton Mallet trainer and was to be ridden by his stable jockey, Joe Tizzard. "He's just had a minor setback," Nicholls said. "It's nothing much but he won't be ready to run next week, and seeing as he's done so well for us this season we'll put him away for next season now."

"With Rockforce missing the race, Joe Tizzard will now switch to my other runner Flagship Uberalles, who was due to be ridden by Robert Thornton."

Flagship Uberalles is a 10-1 shot for the Arkle with Ladbrokes. Rockforce was 25-1.

The progressive novice hurdler Slaney Native is another who will be in his stable while the meeting takes place. Jessica Harrington's charge, who was entered in the Coral Cup and County Hurdle, fractured his pelvis when doing a routine canter on the gallops. If he recovers he will go novice chasing next season.