It's just a figure but one that spells an end to any hint of cream on the Christmas pud. The 10st 1lb Chateau Martin has been given for the appropiately named Move-Over-Butter Handicap Hurdle. Just a figure, but a figure that assures the sauna of receiving Conor O'Dwyer into its sweaty grip.
O'Dwyer, being a light-hearted chap anyway, quickly recovered from the first groan at seeing the minimum weight he will have to do on St Stephen's Day at Leopardstown but it does mean a certain cap on the festive spirit.
"I think Arthur (Moore) was delighted to tell me about the 10-1, especially considering I had to use only a 6oz saddle to do 10-2 at Navan last Saturday," he says before laughing. O'Dwyer is one man unable and unwilling to adopt any poor-poor me attitude.
A distant second to Charlie Swan in the jockeys championship O'Dwyer may be but few if any of the jockeys in these islands who have more reason to relish this Christmas' glut of racing excellence.
Only someone who thinks Scrooge was a bonzer bloke could grumble at the prospect of riding the Gold Cup winner Imperial Call, the Triumph Hurdle favourite Khairabar and the "could be anything" novice chaser Grey Guy among many others over Leopardstown's four day and O'Dwyer is too resilient and cheerful a character for that.
"It'll be a bit quiet on Christmas day but I'm not going to lock myself into a room or anything! I'll be in the sauna each evening from now, I'll ride out for Arthur on Christmas morning and I won't be exactly stuffing myself but I won't be totally deprived either," he says. Grub or little grub, O'Dwyer knows when he's well off.
After admitting that the possible financial benefits of the Leopardstown Festival are "pretty good, especially when racing is usually so quiet around now" the man whose career has sky rocketed in the last two years adds that even without the cash rewards, this fixture can quicken the pulse anyway.
"It really is great racing around a great track in front of great crowds," O'Dwyer comments before putting the whole thing into its overall context. Maybe it's churlish to view such competitive racing as a stepping stone but the increasing tendency among a hungry media is to view most National Hunt events with one eye towards Cheltenham in March. Leopardstown stands on its own but the other fascinating agenda is undeniably there. "It really is quite exciting seeing all the novices in particular meeting for the first time. This will be their first real test. They have been able to avoid each other up to now but Leopardstown tells us where we stand," O'Dwyer says, mindful that on St Stephen's Day he rides two such young horses about to sit their first thorough examinations. Khairabar, a three-year-old ex-flat horse who won his only jumping start at Fairyhouse against demonstrably inferior opposition, will face a much stiffer test in the Dennys Hurdle, while the strapping Grey Guy, also an easy winner of his only fencing start, takes on Hill Society et al in the Dennys Chase. Both talented, both with Cheltenham potential but how much of each we will know after Friday.
"The quality in the hurdle race is pretty good with Hamamelis and Rainbow Frontier in against Khairabar. I was delighted with my fellah's first run but it's hard to evaluate what he did at Fairyhouse. What I do know is that he has taken to hurdles like a natural, from the very first day we schooled him. Some flat horses don't like it or do just enough but he wants to do it," is O'Dwyer's verdict.
Grey Guy is a similarly unexposed type but is described as "a lovely type" by his jockey. "I would have liked if he'd had another race over fences but he has schooled twice around Punchestown and pleased me and he does have a very high cruising speed. The one thing about Hill Society is that he has been running over longer trips so it should be interesting," he says. However, the contest guaranteed to whet the appetite is Sunday's Ericsson Chase where the current Gold Cup favourite Dorans Pride takes on the returning former champion Imperial Call in a match that could become what its billing suggests.
"I felt Imperial Call was coming back when Dorans Pride beat him at Clonmel and I know he is after riding him on Saturday. He felt well, looked well and ran a blinder at Navan and when Imperial Call is right, I wouldn't swap him for anything," O'Dwyer says enthusiastically while still keeping Dorans Pride's talent in perspective.
"There's very little vulnerability in Dorans Pride. He may not do anything spectacular like standing off outside the wing but he is so effective, a really genuine racehorse. I'm not going to say I'll definitely win but when Imperial Call is right, he is really good and he feels right now," he comments. It could be a race to light up any festival but in terms of quality, it fits in at Leopardstown.
"The four days are different to the likes of Galway and Listowel because of the standard of runners and even Fairyhouse and Punchestown come after the main part of the season when we more or less know the score about the horses. Leopardstown though is where we start to find out about them ," O'Dwyer says.
In the circumstances, such a prospect means the Christmas pud can wait until the New Year.
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