McManus withdraws three of his handicap challengers, namely De Name Escapes Me, Jezki and Ivanovich Gorbatov. Despite this, the latest Cheltenham odds remain favourable towards him. McManus said his team was disappointed with the way the cross-channel handicapper treated these horses in relation to the other geldings from Ireland.

Ivanovich Gorbatov, former victor of the Triumph Hurdle, had been among the choices for the County Hurdle, while former champion of the Champion Hurdle Jezki would have joined the County or Coral Cup. De Name Escapes Me was initially intended to participate in the Coral Cup too. With them missing the races, Buveur D’Air, the reigning Champion Hurdler, will become the leader of McManus’ team in the Cheltenham Festival.

Nevertheless, McManus’ team is still expected to beat Michael O’Leary, his rival, for the leading owner award at Cheltenham even with three runners absent from his team. This was first awarded for the past two years, with O’Leary bagging both in addition to his seven-time steak in 2018. However, compared to O’Leary’s 26 wins, McManus is still the most successful owner in the history of Cheltenham Festival races, with a total of 54 wins.

In some ante-post lists, McManus still have a 4-7 shot at being the most successful owner with several ante-post favourites like Champ and Defi Du Seuil.

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