IF you needed further proof of Tony McCoy’s influence on jumping, his decision to partner Sunnyhillboy rather than Nicky Henderson’s Quantitativeeasing in today’s The Atlantic 4 Spinal Research Gold Cup tells its own story.

The news he had been persuaded to desert the Paddy Power Gold Cup runner-up in preference for Jonjo O’Neill’s runner, who also carries the colours of owner JP McManus, had the bookmakers quickly amending their odds.

McCoy has listened to O’Neill’s upbeat report on Sunnyhillboy’s homework.

Course form is important at Cheltenham and the gelding has run well there before.

An outing over fixed brush hurdles at Haydock last month will have blown any cobwebs away.

The champion jockey will have to shed a few pounds overnight if he is to make the weight on Sunnyhillboy.

He needs to get down to 10st 4lb and has only done so once this year.

However, even a great champion like McCoy can choose the wrong one on occasions and I would rather stick with Quantitativeeasing, for whom Barry Geraghty picks up the plum ride.

He has run two fine races over fences at Cheltenham, finding only Divers too good for him in the Centenary Chase at this year’s Festival before gaining his revenge on his old rival when they clashed again in the Paddy Power Gold Cup – where they filled the minor placings behind Great Endeavour.

Quantitativeeasing is relatively young and lightly raced and I fancy he will confirm Paddy Power form with Divers who, nevertheless, is closely matched with a 3lb pull.

Divers will be without his regular partner Graham Lee who broke a collarbone in a fall at Huntingdon on Thursday.

Keith Mercer will be a more than adequate deputy.

He has returned from a long lay-off through injury and is riding as well as ever. Great Endeavour landed the Paddy Power with something to spare and the longer trip of the Hennessy seemed to find him out.

What puts me off is the fact he will be having his third outing in a major handicap in the space of a month considering he ran only four times last winter.

Roudoudous Villa has decent claims. A bumper winner in France, he showed precious little on his first start for Victor Dartnall last season, but a subsequent wind operation and a break has done him the world of good and he has won three out of four.

On his latest appearance, he was a convincing winner at Sandown despite jumping left and, on that evidence, he will be even better racing the other way round.

He has time on his side, remains progressive and looks the each-way alternative to Quantitativeasing.

On what he has shown us so far, Astracad looks as though he is going to be a better chaser than he was a hurdler and looks the one to be on for the Jenny Mould Memorial Handicap Chase.

He carries the family colours in whose memory the race is run and would be a most appropriate winner.

Although unpenalised for his Perth win on his chasing debut, Astracad was still fighting a losing battle against Al Ferof at the last Cheltenham meeting.

However, he was the only one to make a race of it with the talented winner and finished well in front of the rest.

He looks kindly treated on a mark 1lb lower than when he last contested a handicap hurdle and I can understand why trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies has gone the handicap route so soon in his chasing career.

Oscar Whisky is on a recovery mission in the Grade Two Unicorn Homes Relkeel Hurdle.

He blotted his copybook when falling at the last at Ascot when challenging Overturn and may well have conceded weight to his rival had he stood up.

Overturn has since triumphed in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle.

The game Haydock winner Any Given Day is Donald McCain’s representative this time but does not look good enough.