Colin Keane has spoken of his excitement at picking up a ride in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival.
The multiple Irish champion Flat jockey has been snapped up by Noel Meade to partner The Mourne Rambler in the Grade 1 contest on the Wednesday of the Festival, March 11.
Point-to-point recruit The Mourne Rambler made a winning start under rules when beating Cityofblindinlites to land the Race And Stay INH Flat Race at Leopardstown on Boxing Day, a race won by Facile Vega prior to his Champion Bumper triumph at Cheltenham in 2022.
Speaking from Dubai where he rides Crystal Black for his father Gerard against the likes of Rebel's Romance and Burdett Road in the Group 2 Dubai City Of Gold Sponsored By emirates.com at Meydan (17:10) on Saturday, Keane told the Nick Luck Daily Podcast: "I'm looking forward to riding in Cheltenham. Noel asked me around a week ago whether I'd be interested and obviously it was a no-brainer.
"I was in Dundalk when he rang me in between races and asked, so I said yes straight away. He said go and get your licence sorted and that's what we did and that's where we are now.
"I actually sat on him the other evening after racing in Fairyhouse, he did probably his last main piece. He looked good in Leopardstown and he feels like a nice horse from what I sat on anyway.
"I said to Noel afterwards that he feels like he could be running on the Flat during the summer if he wanted him to, very straightforward but he's not a slow horse. I'm looking forward to him now.
"I watch a lot of the good National Hunt racing but yeah, Cheltenham is something I've always watched."
Only seven previous UK or Irish champion Flat jockeys have ridden in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper before, namely Jamie Spencer, Richard Hughes, Keiren Fallon, Johnny Murtagh, Pat Smullen, and brothers Joseph and Donnacha O'Brien. Spencer was successful in the race aboard Pizarro for the late Edward O'Grady in 2002.
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