Ned Festival farewell for McCoy
Ned Buntline will provide Tony McCoy with his final Cheltenham Festival mount on Friday.
Tony McCoy has plumped for the Noel Meade-trained runner in the race named in his honour, the AP McCoy Grand Annual Handicap Chase.
The 19-times champion opted for Ned Buntline out of owner JP McManus' four runners, preferring him to the Jonjo O'Neill-trained pair of Eastlake and Festive Affair or Philip Hobbs' Bold Henry, who was pulled up earlier in the week.
McCoy has five rides on his final day of Festival action, including Carlingford Lough in the Gold Cup.
He also rides Princely Conn in the Vincent O'Brien County Hurdle and Fletchers Flyer in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle, but he rates the Nicky Henderson-trained Hargam as his leading chance of a victory in the Triumph.
He told At The Races: "Hargam is probably my best chance of riding a winner this week so I would like the weather to stay nice."