Three Horses To Watch This Weekend

The Dublin Racing Festival is one of the highlights of the Irish jumps racing season and the first horse over the weekend that is worth following is the Willie Mullins Chacun Pour Soi.

This French exploit has been tipped to be one of the yards superstars this season and still could be having only ran three times for the trainer in three years with a career littered with injuries.

In his three runs the seven year old has been superb winning at Naas in March of last year in a beginners chase and then he rounded off the season by winning the Grade One Ryanair Novice Chase seeing off the Arkle and JLT winners at the Cheltenham.

He made his seasonal reappearance over the Christmas period at Leopardstown when looking to be dominating the race late only to run out of steam towards the line and be beaten by A Plus Tard.

The run was definitely what he needed and he can reverse the form in this contest.

The six year old spearheads a strong team of runners for Henry De Bromhead's yard that heads to the meeting with the County Waterford-based trainer set to have at least one entry in every Grade One across the festival.

Honeysuckle has a been a star for the yard over the last two years and on both her starts this season she has been faultless winning twice at Fairyhouse with her latest win coming in the Grade One Hatton's Grace Hurdle.

She takes on her biggest challenge at the weekend when put on a left handed track for the first time in two years having last raced that way round in her point to point days and also dropping slightly in trip she will have to be at her best to see of the star studded field in the Irish Champion Hurdle.

Her trainer has put her into this contest to see if she has the pace to match it with some of the best around in the two mile hurdling division and it will be sure to locate what race she heads to at the Cheltenham festival.

This five year old has started his life over hurdles this season in great style and looks to be one of the big contenders for the Supreme Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.

He landed a decent contest at Gowran on his seasonal debut and then went on to take a Grade Three at Navan showing clear progression.

Two starts ago, although finishing second, saw him give one of his best performance to date when a narrow second to the superstar Envoi Allen in a Grade One at Fairyhouse and that has seemed to bring him on a lot.

He got back to winning ways last time out at Leopardstown over the Christmas period taking the Grade One Champions Novice hurdle in workman like fashion and that gives him the credentials to go and land the Chanelle Pharma Novice Hurdle on Sunday.