AP McCoy expects the Irish domination to continue at the Cheltenham Festival this year as the action kicks off today.
Irish trainers won 18 of the 28 races at the famous meeting 12 months ago, while the scoreline was 23-5 in 2021, and the legendary jockey is expecting a lot more success for handlers from the Emerald Isle ahead of St Patrick's Day later this week.
McCoy, who remains the third most successful jockey in the Festival's history, believes both Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott could individually have more winners than all of the UK-based trainers combined and puts the Irish success at the meeting down to the level of competition at racecourses here all year round.
He told the Irish Mirror: "I would say Willie will definitely beat all the English, Gordon has a chance as well I'd say. I still think the gap is huge. There are horses there that will win (for UK trainers) like Constitution Hill, Shishkin, Edwardstone has a chance, there's a few in the Gold Cup. If Galopin Des Champs didn't turn up, maybe Protektorat and a couple of them, but what are the others?
"Luccia is in the Mares' Novices Hurdle but Willie has three or four mares there. With the exception of Constitution Hill or Shishkin, I'm not sure about Hermes Allen, I'd have probably ran him in the Albert Bartlett if he was mine. What are the others?
"The novice hurdle races are totally dominated by Irish horses, but I think that all comes down to competition. Competition is what makes you better and I think the competition in the UK day to day is too diluted.
"I don't think there's any other reason for the Irish being dominant, yes you can make lots of cases... it can be like Ferrari having a period in Formula 1 like Willie Mullins is having where some fella is dominant or Manchester City or whoever it may be. There's some team that always has a dominant edge but I think it's the competition that has made Ireland stronger."
William Hill ambassador McCoy will be at Cheltenham for all four days this week working for ITV and is especially looking forward to seeing Constitution Hill in today's Champion Hurdle and Galopin Des Champs in Friday's Gold Cup.
The 20-time Champion Jockey, who rode over 4,300 winners in his career, believes both horses have the potential to be superstars, but admits they have to go and do it on the biggest stage this week.
He explained: "We're looking at Constitution Hill now or racing is looking at Constitution Hill like he's the second coming or that he is the next Istabraq and it's the same with Galopin Des Champs. People are looking at him thinking 'God he could be the next Kauto Star, Best Mate or Arkle'. And that's what we do in sport, we compare straight away.
"I think to be great you have to have longevity. It's like a young lad that could turn up and be the best footballer for a year and then disappear and go off the rails. But they have the potential to really light up the Festival. There's a chance they could deliver wow performances.
"Constitution Hill has to go and do it on the big stage and Willie (Mullins) will be planning an attack with three or four of them so it will be different in terms of beating Epatante a couple of times at Newcastle and at Christmas. This is a much bigger challenge.
"Galopin Des Champs has the potential and looks like a superstar but it's a Cheltenham Gold Cup and better horses than him have got beaten in a Cheltenham Gold Cup but if you were an owner or a jockey going to Cheltenham, the first horse you'd put your hand up for is either one of them two."
McCoy enjoyed huge success in JP McManus' famous green and gold silks over the years, including at Cheltenham on the likes of Binocular, Synchronised, Uxizandre and Wichita Lineman, who many believe the Co Antrim gave the greatest ride in Festival history to win at the 2009 meeting.
Limerick businessman McManus has a number of runners with strong chances over the coming days, including recent purchase A Dream To Share in the Champion Bumper on Wednesday who McCoy can see running a big race, although the day two finale includes plenty of horses with massive potential.
McCoy said: "A Dream To Share has a very good chance. I always said to people that backing horses in a bumper is madness. I got beat in a Cheltenham bumper once on a horse that I thought was a good thing. I thought he'd be very hard to beat. He had had a few runs and Pipey (trainer Martin Pipe) said he'd stay forever and he'd beat everything. I sent him on down the hill and I got beat and I'll never forget the amount of abuse I got from people saying 'why didn't you hang on' and 'you should have held on'.
"He was Golden Alpha and he got beat by a 50/1 shot. A 50/1 shot came and beat him. I'll never forget it and it was Monsignor. He never got beat again, he never lost another race. He beat Best Mate in the Tolworth, he won the next year's Sun Alliance Hurdle as it was called then.
"My point is you never know what you're coming up against in the bumper. There's a lot of unexposed horses.
"A Dream To Share has without any question the best form. He beat loads of winners in Leopardstown. There's no question he has the best form."
McManus recently purchased A Dream To Share off RTE and ITV racing presenter Brian Gleeson and his wife Claire. Trained by 85-year-old Waterford trainer John Kiely, the horse could provide one of the stories of the week, with the couple's 18-year-old son John set to partner him.
Sir AP McCoy was speaking on behalf of William Hill
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