Andrew Thornton hails 'best in the business' Robbie Power ahead of Min challenge

Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning jockey Andrew Thornton has hailed Robbie Power as the best rider in the game and is confident he will not feel the pressure of trying to guide Min to a Ladbrokes Dublin Chase hat-trick on Saturday.

Power will team up with Min for the first time after Paul Townend opted to ride Chacun Pour Soi instead and Thornton – who was making a guest appearance on the Racing Post's new preview show What A Shout – believes there is no better man for the job.

"Robbie's just a supreme horseman," said Thornton. "I'd probably class him as the best horseman in the business. Pressure doesn't faze him and he won't see riding Min as pressure, he's just looking forward to being on the big stage again."

Robbie Power: won at Punchestown with Chacun Pour Soi last year but now takes him on in the Dublin Chase with MinCredit: Patrick McCann

Townend's choice of Chacun Pour Soi over Min is just one of many tough decisions the rider has had to make from the Willie Mullins stable for the Dublin Racing Festival, but Thornton trusts his judgement.

He said: "I'd love his headache. Maybe he feels Chacun Pour Soi is less exposed as the younger runner, and of course he knows them from home work. It's a difficult decision to make and Ruby Walsh had all those calls to make in the past, but it's a good position to be in.

"Personally I'm a Min fan. He loves Leopardstown and has been first past the post every time he's run round there, so it'll be interesting to find out if Paul's made the right decision.

"You've got decisions to make as jockeys and you live and die by them. It's when you don't have a decision to make that you've got to worry."

In the PCI Irish Champion Hurdle, Townend has opted to ride Klassical Dream over Sharjah, who beat his mount by 46 lengths at the track over Christmas, but Thornton feels the rider made his choice with Cheltenham in mind.

He added: "I reckon he's thinking of the festival in the long run. He's ridden Klassical Dream all the way along and Cheltenham's never quite been the gig for Sharjah. It's not clicked yet for Klassical Dream but that's not to say it won't click this weekend."

Leopardstown Saturday card

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