AN Irish 1-2 in today’s $500,000 Iroquois Hurdle in Nashville, Tennessee, looks entirely possible as Nichols Canyon and Shaneshill take on six home-trained hopes in the three-mile contest over natural brush fences. Paddy Power make Nichols Canyon the even-money favourite to win the Grade 1 race while his stable companion is 13/8 second favourite. Third in the market at 8/1 is Rawnaq, winner of seven National Hunt races in Ireland before being exported to the USA where he is among the top timber horses.

Both the Willie Mullins runners are owned by Graham and Andrea Wylie. Ruby Walsh prefers the chances of Nichols Canyon who finished third behind Annie Power at both Cheltenham and Aintree. He has yet to race over three miles but the pace of American jumps racing tends to be sedate in the early stages.