2.35pm Fairyhouse - Grade 1 Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle
This is a really good little race, and I want to start by saying fair play to the Fergal O'Brien team for sending Springtime Promise over to have a crack at this. As all who follow jumps racing know, more UK-based trainers need to send their horses over to Ireland to contest in the decent races.
That said, although she is riding the crest of a wave at the moment, I think in usual Irish fashion, this race will go the way of Willie Mullins, who does actually have 10 entries in this contest, over 50% of the field.
Fun Fun Fun is the one of all the Mullins horses that I like the look of, and although she is tackling this sort of trip for the very first time, the key for me is the fact she has heavy-ground winning form over hurdles.
A dual Bumper winner, she was pitched into the Champion Bumper, therefore clearly has a bit about her, however it is her hurdle efforts that have been impressive for me so far. A winner on hurdle debut at Thurles, she has since come 2nd in a Listed contest at that venue, as well as winning a novice contest at Exeter and since then landing a Grade 3 contest at Naas. It was that effort last time out that caught the eye for me, as she put the rest of the runners to the sword, and won with ease by a little under 7 lengths.
She probably didn't jump as well as she could have, but the manner of the victory suggests she is starting to put it altogether now over hurdles, as she made all, and went further clear down the home straight, beating a well-fancied rival in the process.
She takes the step up to 2m4f for the very first time today, but given the manner in which she has won her last two hurdles contests over the 2-mile trip, I would say that step up in trip will only bring more out of her, plus the slightly slower pace that might happen in this race being a longer trip could help improve her jumping on the way around.
The step up in class is another slight concern on Sunday, as she takes on Grade 1 company for the first time over hurdles, but as I have previously mentioned, she is still improving with each passing run, so she can easily defy the class step up here and improve enough to land this brilliant Grade 1 contest.
- Selection - Fun Fun Fun (7/1)
3.10pm Fairyhouse - Grade 2 Novice Hurdle
This is another pretty decent novice contest, in which No Flies On Him had a Supreme entry for a while, and was an interesting type heading into this season, but the potential that he shown in point-to-points and a maiden hurdle win hasn't really come through as yet, as he was firmly put in his place in a Listed contest last time out.
With that in mind, I want to take on the market leader here, with a type who is very lightly raced over hurdles, but does look to be very much the sort who could improve from the run last time out. Once again it is trained by Willie Mullins (shock, I know!) and it is Anotherway for the boys in double green.
Well beaten by No Flies On Him in a Leopardstown maiden, he did show that a) he probably needed the run and b) he is one to very much learn on the job with each passing run. They wasted no time in running him again over obstacles, and he was sent off the odds-on favourite for his Punchestown run last time out.
The jumping that day wasn't much to look at in the main, but he still powered well clear in the closing stages to get his head in front where it mattered, winning the contest by a pretty cosy 12 lengths. The mistake at the last meant that he had to be pushed out in the closing stages, but he stayed on very, very well and showed that there is clearly an engine in there that can be exploited by connections.
He takes a step up in trip to 2m4f here, which, judging by his previous run, should pose no issues, plus that win last time out was on a similar going to what is expected on Sunday. There seems to be plenty more to come from him now up to this sort of trip, and although he is very lightly raced over hurdles, connections have wasted no time in getting him into Graded company. Plus the booking of Paul Townend is a huge plus, as he has a few to choose from in this contest.
- Selection - Anotherway (7/1)
3.45pm Fairyhouse - Grade 2 Donoghue Marquees Novice Hurdle
We haven't really got much to go on with Tounsivator but he could literally be anything and couldn't really have won any nicer on his hurdle debut last time at Naas when beating an odds-on favourite of Barry Connell's.
The Willie Mullins horse was sent off at 7/2 in the market, so wasn't particularly well fancied to be a world beater, and ultimately, he might not be one, but from what we have seen, especially on his hurdle debut just 35 days ago, he looks a very nice type. He took a keen hold throughout the contest, and all in all his jumping was pretty fluent throughout, apart from the mistake at the last. But he gathered himself back up and ended up winning a shade cosily in the end, with the winning margin being 1 and a quarter lengths, showing there is quality and more importantly an engine in there.
He ran on a few different occasions over in France on the level, running and winning at a pretty decent level for previous connections, a typical Willie Mullins recruit, as he likes to bring winning sorts over from France to then put them over obstacles.
The form of his hurdle win last time has been franked nicely, with the 2nd placed horse Rainbow Trail winning by 3 lengths since, and also trained by Gordon Elliott, so could also mould into a nice type of his own in the future.
Like all of the novices I have selected in this article, Tounsivator could literally be anything, and he is probably the one I am most looking forward to seeing take the step up in class at Fairyhouse on Sunday.
- Selection - Tounsivator (11/4)
All previews and tips provided by @ Jake Russell