Leopardstown's four-day Christmas festival opens on Sunday with as mouth-watering a clash between two potential star chasers as one could imagine.
Alexander Banquet and Quinze have been the star Irish novices so far this season, but it's not just stubbornness that makes one nominate Go Roger Go as a value bet to beat both of them in the Grade One Denny Novice Chase.
For one thing, there are few other meetings where Go Roger Go's owner, JP McManus, prefers to have winners; but there are far more solid reasons for the seven-year-old to rock the market leader's applecart.
Alexander Banquet has jumped like an old stager in this two chase starts, but in terms of form what he has achieved could be open to scrutiny. Lyreen Wonder, who Alexander Banquet beat at Naas, has since been beaten at Cork, while the last-fence fall of To Your Honour at Fairyhouse gave a rather facile look to his eventual distance winning margin.
He is also taking a step back in trip, which shouldn't unduly worry a former Cheltenham bumper winner, but guts and stamina have traditionally been Alexander Banquet's greatest weapons.
Quinze, in contrast, has a real touch of class as befits a Galway Hurdle winner with 11.12 on his back. Two runs over fences have so far been flawless, the trip on Sunday will be ideal and he comes from a stable in great form.
One slight worry is a cut he picked up after his last victory at Galway in October, and a bigger worry is how he will act on very testing ground. Quinze is surely more effective on a better surface.
Which is where Go Roger Go comes in. A brilliantly easy winner on the heavy of an admittedly poor race at the Listowel festival, Go Roger Go is an experienced, sound jumper who will be effective at the trip, and a significant swing at the weights gives him a realistic chance of reversing Galway form with Quinze.
Quinze admittedly won very easily by 10 lengths, but the ground will be significantly more testing this time and Go Roger Go has a 17 lb pull at the weights. A typically aggressive Norman Williamson drive from some way out could have the market leaders at it and then it will be a ball game that requires toughness and experience. Go Roger Go looks to qualify best on both counts.
The other Graded race on the card is the Denny Juvenile Hurdle, where the best of the season's three-year-olds clash. Fable's record so far entitles him to the maximum of respect, while the dark horse of the race is Aidan O'Brien's Yeoman's Point who is sure to have improved for his debut.
Preference, however, is for Perugino Diamond, who hasn't run since Listowel in September but looked a smart prospect then and, significantly, was an easy winner over Dangerousdanmagru on the heavy.
The young Wicklow trainer Philip Rothwell has made quite a name for himself since beginning his career in April, and Dr Torus can keep his name in the headlines via a win in the Kerry Spring Maiden Hurdle, while Pauls Run could be a reasonable each way bet in the stamina sapping handicap chase.
Swiss Tune could turn into a strong market order in the opener based on a second to Hill Society last season and an encouraging return behind Senanjar at Punchestown last time. But he could start at a very short price with the McManus factor behind him and maybe the Navan bumper winner Arctic Copper, owned by a syndicate of Dail politicians, will be a more realistic proposition for the smaller punter.
