Daly's star gets Irish challenge

Shropshire trainer Henry Daly has confirmed that Mighty Man - rated the best hurdler to have run this season by the Racing Post - is set to line up in the 200,000 euros Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown next week.The seven-year-old won the John Smith's Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree last week by an effortless 13 lengths and Daly is looking forward to Punchestown on Thursday, April 26.

"I'm very happy with him after Aintree and he'll go to Punchestown," confirmed the Downton Hall handler last night.

"He doesn't want soft ground but that looks unlikely anyway," said Daly.

"The official handicapper has put him up 7lb to 172, which doesn't really make any difference as he won't run in a handicap, but you've got to be delighted to have a horse that good.

"It will be interesting to see what happens if Hardy Eustace and Al Eile run.

"They're all good horses and that's what racing's about - running good horses against each other."

By Bob Downing