O'Keeffe on hand to take top billing

IF Henry de Bromhead is true to form, we will be hearing a lot of Darragh O'Keeffe at Cheltenham this week.

- BY JON LEES

Darragh O'Keeffe has high hopes for Heart Wood in the Ryanair Chase

The 25-year-old was given big shoes to fill when Rachael Blackmore, the history-making jockey with whom the trainer had enjoyed 18 Festival wins during a golden era of success, announced her retirement last spring, but has proved a good fit.

The champion Irish conditional of the 2019-20 season made his own Festival breakthrough on the stable's Maskada in the Grand Annual three years ago when Blackmore's understudy.

But back at Cheltenham this week, he will have the extra responsibility of being stable No.1.