Barry Geraghty rode three winners at the Cheltenham Festival last year

  PICTURE: Edward Whitake/racingpostpix.com  

Geraghty top-jockey favourite without Walsh

BARRY GERAGHTY heads the betting with Stan James to be the top jockey at the Cheltenham Festival in the without-Ruby-Walsh market.

Geraghty, who claimed the overall title in 2003 with five winners, is an 11-10 shot without Walsh, while Tony McCoy, who last won the overall title in 1998,is 9-4. Davy Russell comes next at 9-2 with Robert Thornton, the only jockey other than Walsh to take the title in the last four years, at 11-2.

Geraghty will be hoping promising novices Riverside Theatre, Finian's Rainbow and Punchestowns can add to his already strong hand in the championship events. Geraghty has the choice of Punjabi or Zaynar in the Champion Hurdle and Big Zeb or Petit Robin in the Champion Chase.

Charlie McCann, head of PR for Stan James, said: "Geraghty certainly deserves his place at the head of the market but there doesn't appear to be a banker among his likely mounts and perhaps punters will look elsewhere."

CheltenhamFestival top jockey without Ruby Walsh

Stan James 11-10 B Geraghty, 9-4 AP McCoy, 9-2 D Russell, 11-2 R Thornton, 9 P Carberry, T Murphy, 11 R Johnson, 14 bar.

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