Fairyhouse hosts its latest card of the Jumps season on Saturday with a highly-competitive eight-race offering. The meeting gets underway at the early time of 11.36am with a beginners chase before wrapping up at 3.30pm with a bumper. For a full rundown of the Fairyhouse card courtesy of BOYLE Sports, who offer the latest horse racing odds throughout the Jumps season.
Up first is a beginners chase at 11.36 and a field of 15 will take on the two mile and five furlong trip. Coral Cup winner at the Cheltenham Festival in March, Jimmy Du Seuil, is the one to beat on chasing debut here for the all-conquering Willie Mullins team. The Gordon Elliott-trained Jacob’s Ladder is the biggest threat, 2nd of 16 on chase debut 20 days ago and should like this further trip.
Race two on the card (12.09) is a mares handicap chase over the two and a half mile distance. Preference here is for Kiltealy Park, who scored at Fairyhouse in April and also was a good fifth in a deep Galway handicap in August so that form looks to be strong.
A Listed handicap worth €27,000 to the winner is race three at Fairyhouse on Saturday (12.44). Mullins could bring up a quick double early on in the card here with Mirazur West, who shaped well in a valuable Punchestown handicap when last seen seven months ago finishing third and is taken to get the better of Ifiwerearichman for trainer Paul Nolan, making a handicap debut having finished third in a Listed chase at Wexford 33 days ago.
The Grade 3 Jack McInerney Memorial Hurdle is up next (1.19) over the two mile trip. The Joseph O’Brien-trained Talk The Talk was runner-up in a very strong bumper last season and looked useful when landing success at Limerick on hurdles debut earlier this season at Limerick so could be the way to go here in a race that was won last year by Mullins and Anzadam, who heads over the water this weekend to Newcastle for an absolutely red-hot Grade 1 Fighting Fifth to take on Constitution Hill and The New Lion.
Eight runners will tackle the two and a half mile novice hurdle at 1.53, race five of the afternoon. L’Evangeliste confirmed the promise of his hurdling debut when readily landing a Galway maiden last time out and looks open to improvement, so could score for a second straight race, while race six (2.25) can head the way of Skylight Hustle for the Gordon Elliott team, a point-to-point winner and showed plenty to work with when second in a big-field maiden hurdle on debut last time out.
The penultimate contest of the afternoon (3.00) is another handicap hurdle, this time over the two and a half mile trip and a big field of 22 will tackle it. Joseph O’Brien could scoop his second winner on the card here with Jordans, a very good second to a rampant Caldwell Potter in the Mildmay at Aintree seven months ago and makes a chase debut at Fairyhouse.
Finally, the card comes to a close with a bumper at 3.30 and preference of the 11 runners in the field heads the way of Generous Risk for the Elliott yard, a £250,000 purchase after getting off the mark in points back in March and on rules debut was not far off winning a Cork bumper so holds pretty strong claims.
Pictured above David Jennings interviews the ever smiling Paul Carberry and Keith Donoghue on their thoughts and racing exploits on the launch night held recently at The Old Stand in Ratoath. There was with a well attended crowd which was treated to beverages and light snacks, with an opportunity to win some nice prizes for the first correct answers, to Jennings general knowledge questions. The evening was the official launch night for the Christmas Fairyhouse Festival this weekend. Sunday will see the main events with Bar 1 Hatton Grace Grade 1 as Teahupoo currently heads the market at 0/11 to Ballyburn at 5/4 in the six runner field with a purse of €70,800on offer to the connections. There ais also another Grade 1 with the Bar 1 Drinmore Novice Chase over 2m4f, Romeo Coolio if offered at 4/7 for the Elliott/Kennedy partnership. It’s another six field race with the top novices in a race that always points to Cheltenham as a good marker over the years. The Meath Gaa will be there in force with their annual fund raiser overseen by auctioneer, Meath cllr, racing and Gaa enthusiast Pat Tormey. The event is well supported at Fairyhouse and there was no problem filling the tables this year as Meath is starting to find their feet so to speak and becoming a real challenge to fight for honours in the Leinster and the All Ireland. The first All Star too this year in a good stretch of time with Sean Rafferty of Na Fianna establishing himself with credibility and a deserved honour at full back will hopefully see a marker for more to follow.
Expect a massive turnout over the two day festival with a bumper crowd on the Sunday. Incidentally it was this time last year that the General Election was held and the counts centres were busy in Trim and Ashbourne and Gillian Toole and Aisling Dempsey were to make it inro the 34th Dail with incumbents Darren O’Rourke, Helen McEntee, Peadar Toibin, Thomas Byrne, Johnny Guirke getting home in their respective constituencies.
Gillian Toole above, will be joining the musical intro on Sunday as she did last year, it gives her a break away from the political burners that keep you on your toes and she got her eyes opened when she took her seat this year when she joined the government of the day with the famous Lowry arrangement and the now famous two finger salute in the Dail
Fairyhouse selections – Saturday 29th November
11.36 – Jimmy Du Seuil
12.09 – Kiltealy Park
12.44 – Mirazur West
1.19 – Talk The Talk
1.53 – L’Evangeliste
2.25 – Skylight Hustle
3.00 – Jordans
3.30 – Generous Risk
