Weather to smile on Fairyhouse

FAIRYHOUSE’S “PREMIER Jump Racing Weekend” begins on Saturday but the Co Meath track has secured a plum result already with a trouble-free weather outlook being predicted on the run-in to Ireland’s most lucrative pre-Christmas fixture.

The meeting, formerly known as the “Winter Festival”, has endured lamentable weather luck in recent years with the triple-Grade One Sunday card having to be regularly postponed.

However, last year’s epic snow saga capped the lot and saw the meeting being postponed on five separate occasions before finally being run off 17 days later than scheduled in the middle of December.

The eventual card was rated one of the best National Hunt fixtures ever staged in Ireland as it included four Grade Ones with the John Durkan transferred from Punchestown and featured a brilliant return to action of the eventual Champion Hurdle winner Hurricane Fly.

However, the Fairyhouse authorities are hoping for a much less dramatic 2011 experience. “We’ve had everything in the last four years; rain, snow, even a hurricane. But while we don’t want to jinx it, things look to be much better this time. The ground here is lovely soft winter ground and the weather forecast for the weekend is pretty good. It’s all a lot different to last year when we had eight inches of snow,” said the Fairyhouse manager, Peter Roe, yesterday.

The importance of good weather was pointed out by Roe as an important factor in increased attendances at the last two Sunday meetings in Ireland at Navan and Punchestown. “They each got a peach of a day and if we get the same we would be very hopeful of a very good crowd. If not, people just look elsewhere. But the forecast is good,” he added.

The shape of Sunday’s three Grade One highlights, the Bar One Racing Hatton’s Grace Hurdle, the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle and the Drinmore Novice Chase, will become clearer this afternoon at the five-day forfeit stage.

However, last year’s Hatton’s Grace third, Voler La Vedette, looks like again trying to pick up an elusive first Grade One prize in the big two-and-a-half-mile centrepiece after an impressive return to action in the Lismullen at Navan.

Another horse that could bid for a first top-flight prize is Edward O’Grady’s progressive The Real Article, rated as low as 20 to 1 for the Champion Hurdle in March after an impressive Grade Two victory at Down Royal earlier in the month.

Dermot Weld still has the option of keeping his Triumph Hurdle runner-up, Unaccompanied, in the Hatton’s Grace at today’s forfeit stage but the Curragh trainer has already indicated his Group Three Kilternan Stakes winner Galileo’s Choice will have just the second start of his career over jumps in the Royal Bond.

The first yielded an impressive victory at the Galway Festival in July when ridden by top amateur Robbie McNamara who is in line to again partner Galileo’s Choice on Sunday.

Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown Stud currently has half the 16 horses in the Drinmore Chase including the Cheltenham winner First Lieutenant and the highly-promising Bog Warrior.

An interesting contender though could also be Alpha Ridge, runner-up to Pandorama in the race last year, and in line for another crack at it.

Boylesports.com have signed a three-year sponsorship deal with Leopardstown for their meeting on January 28th. A €100,000 bonus is on offer to any horse winning the Boylesports.com Hurdle (formerly the MCR Hurdle) and following up at Cheltenham in March. A bonus of €50,000 is on offer for any horse winning the Grade Two novice chase on the card and at the festival.