Fairyhouse Sunday Preview - 04/12/22

The first event of the afternoon at Fairyhouse on Sunday is the Mares Handicap Chase over 2m 3 1/2f and Maskada for Henry De Bromhead looks very interesting.

Previously with Stuart Edmunds and showing some good form last season in Listed Mares' Chases, finishing second to The Glancing Queen at Bangor, before beating Zambella at Leicester and then a good third at Huntingdon behind Pink Legend and Vienna Court.

Switching over to De Bromhead to be trained in Ireland, the mare has been seen once to date for the yard at the back end of last season when fourth of six in the Grade One Barberstown Castle Novice Chase behind Blue Lord.

Dropped back into an easier Mares Handicap Chase off a mark of 131, she looks very interesting for a top yard.

With no bet in the highly competitive Grade Three Juvenile Hurdle, we move onto another tough punting event with the Bar One Racing Porterstown Handicap Chase seeing a good field go to post and Walking On Glass for Padraig Roche looks very interesting.

A horse this year that has started to put it all together over staying trips, finishing second at Clonmel in June over 2m7f behind Bacardys, he was then sent to the Galway festival and finished a fair eighth of 19 back down in trip.

He put in a poor run at Killarney in August, but put his best hoof forward at Ballinrobe in September when getting off the mark for the year in taking style.

Sent into a handicap at Gowran Park at the start of October, he made it back to back wins off a mark of 123, when seeing off the likeable Unexpected Depth.

Kept at three miles he was last seen finishing a superb fifth of 20 in the Munster National Handicap Chase at Limerick, with the form of that race since being franked with the winner The Big Dog since taking the Troytown Chase.

That run was off 10lb higher and off the same mark in this he is worth taking seriously up in trip again.

The first big race of the afternoon is the Grade One Bar One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle over two miles and we can't get away from the favourite Champ Kiely.

A winner on all three of his starts under rules to date, getting up late in a bumper at Limerick in May 2021 on debut and then stepped up to 2m5f at Galway in July on hurdles debut he took a maiden by 21 lengths.

Not seen again until October when stepped up to Grade Three company at Tipperary he put away a field including Cheltenham Festival winner Brazil and Hubrisko with ease.

Brazil has since franked the form when winning a Grade Three at Naas and the form of that race has since been franked as well with Fil Dor back in second winning on chase debut.

Marine Nationale is the big danger as he really could be anything but Champ Kiely could just have a bit more class at this stage.

Another top class event on the afternoon at Fairyhouse is the Grade One Bar One Racing Drinmore Novice Chase where a superb field of 11 go to post.

A very smart hurdler for Joseph O'Brien winning in January at Navan over two miles when beating Au Fleuron and then off a mark of 137 landed the 23 runner Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle at the 2022 Cheltenham festival in good style.

Sent chasing this term he made an emphatic seasonal debut at Gowran Park over 2m4f when winning by close to 9 lengths and dropped back in trip last time out at Cheltenham he jumped his opposition into the ground to take the Grade Two Arkle Trial at Cheltenham.

Going back up in trip is no issue and progressing with each run to date he looks a solid contender.

Great race.

The big feature race of the afternoon is the Grade One Hatton's Grace Hurdle where it sees the Queen of racing Honeysuckle look to land this race.

She has been a star for the yard over the last three or four years taking numerous Grade Ones like the Mares Hurdle, 2x Champion Hurdles, 3x Hatton's Grace Hurdles, 3x Irish Champion Hurdles and 2x Paddy Power Champion Hurdles.

Overall the Kenneth Alexander-owned eight year old has claimed 17 wins in a row, if including her point to point race and making her seasonal debut at the spot she always does taking on opposition she has trounced in the past.

We can’t wait to see her back on track and it would take a very poor performance to see her beat.

The penultimate race of the afternoon is the Grade A Handicap Hurdle over two miles and big field goes to post for this event and with that in mind, we have picked out two selections across the afternoon.

The first comes from the top of the weights with the smart Icare Allen for Willie Mullins and JP McManus could be a graded horses in a handicap.

Last season as a juvenile the four year old showed serious form when landing a 3-Y-O Maiden Hurdle at the Leopardstown Christmas meeting in some style.

Sent into the Grade One Spring Juvenile Hurdle he was slightly outclassed by Stablemate Vauban and Fil Dor at the Dublin Racing Festival, but got back to winning ways at Fairyhouse in a Grade Three Juvenile Hurdle.

Seen twice more last season, he was a good fourth in the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham festival and then he rounded out the season at Fairyhouse over C&D when a close third.

Better than a handicapping horse he could be well in off a mark of 140 and is interesting in this company.

At a bigger price and further down the weights is the interesting Sit Down Lucy for Peter Fahey with the mare running off a mark of 128 which could be workable over hurdles.

Seen over both codes during her career and of late, she has shown enough form to suggest a big run is pending.

A winner in July at the Galway festival when landing a handicap hurdle off 121 from the Emmet Mullins trained Teed Up who has since franked the form on the flat.

Making it back to back wins this time over fences again at Galway when beating next time out winner Hallowed Star for Shark Hanlon.

Sit Down Lucy was last seen in a Grade Three Novice Chase when fourth behind the bright Enniskerry for Barry Connell and now stepping back over hurdles looks interesting.

The final selection of the afternoon on Sunday from Fairyhouse comes in the two mile bumper event and it sees two potential superstars go to post in Better Days Ahead and Chapeau De Soleil.

We are siding with the later for Willie Mullins and Rich Ricci with the four year old gelding being bought for €50,000 and is related to Grand National winner Many Clouds.

Seen just once in a PTP to date the gelding was a five length winner over three miles at Stowlin and set to make his rules debut for top connections, he is worth some interest.