THE TRAGIC loss of Champion Hurdle contender Lingo on trainer Jonjo O'Neill's gallops last Saturday morning means ante-post punters with an eye on the Cheltenham Festival have been dealt a big blow with yet another leading fancy scratched from the lists.

My best wishes go out to all of Lingo's connections, plus those canny enough to have snapped up some 33/1 about the Greatwood Hurdle winner back in November.

It was only last week I wrote in this column how Lingo's regular jockey Tony McCoy would be facing a tough decision between Lingo and favourite Brave Inca, though sadly that decision is now taken for him.

On a more positive note, punters have been clearly siding with Brave Inca, taking my 2/1 quote with confidence, while no-one can choose between my 6/1 co-second favourites Hardy Eustace, Macs Joy and Arcalis.

Personally, I reckon it could be Macs Joy's year, although the Hardy Eustace camp have their sights set on a Champion Hurdle hat-trick, despite a recent poor run behind Brave Inca at Leopardstown.

Elsewhere in the Cheltenham markets, I now make Detroit City a 7/1 shot, down from 25/1, for the Triumph Hurdle after his easy win at Sandown last weekend, plus there is a bit of each way money for Fire Dragon at 25/1 for the World Hurdle, down from 66/1 after his win in the Cleeve Hurdle.

On the subject of the World Hurdle, I layed some big each way bets on a horse called Mighty Man at 16/1 and 14/1, though that price is currently just 6/1 and could shorten again soon as punters look to oppose 9/2 favourite Baracouda.

The weekend football coupon is a busy one with Wanderers perhaps overpriced at 9/2 away at Arsenal in the Premiership. The Gunners are not the force of old and it is only a fortnight since Bolton beat them 1-0 in the FA Cup, so Big Sam's side will have nothing to fear at Highbury.

A repeat 1-0 win for Wanderers is priced up at 11/1, while the man who scored that goal Stelios is 12/1 to score first. You could even go the whole hog and back Stelios to score first and Bolton to win 1-0 in a scorecast double at 125/1. He is clearly a player in form as last week he netted to give first-goal punters a 15/2 payout against Wigan.

Speaking of Wigan, I thought they did well to get a point at the Reebok last weekend, and at 11/4 they could cause Liverpool a few problems in the early kick-off tomorrow lunchtime.

The Scousers had a hard time of it at Chelsea, when the Londoners landed a nationwide gamble for punters at 8/11, and they were in action just 48 hours ago against Charlton, so you would have to be brave to go in big at 5/6 about the away win in this one.

On the subject of Chelsea, you would not want to be in Steve McLaren's shoes right now. Tthe Middlesbrough boss is getting it in the neck from all and sundry, with the one team he would definitely want to avoid on the way to the Riverside and available at just 2/5 to take the points.

I'm prepared to be generous and lay Boro at 13/2 for this one, but even at those huge odds I'm not exactly expecting a stampede.

In the late kick-off, 5/1 Portsmouth will rate their chances against Manchester United's leaky defence, but if it comes down to a goal fest you'd have to fancy Fergie's men at 1/2 on the road.