The second day of racing at Fairyhouse this week takes place on Thursday with a bumper eight-race card on offer for punters heading to the track. The card gets underway at 11.53am with a beginners chase over two miles before coming to a close at 3.52pm with a 0-100 rated handicap hurdle. Read below for a full rundown of the Fairyhouse card on Thursday courtesy of BOYLE Sports, who provide the latest horse racing odds.
Up first on the card is the beginners chase over two miles (11.53) and a field of 12 look set to take it on. The Ross O’Sullivan-trained Coral River looks a very promising prospect and holds solid claims here off the back of a very good second in a novice chase at Punchestown 35 days ago and can make it third time lucky to get off the mark. Strutter has been off the track for over a year having left Nicky Henderson’s yard and joined the powerful Willie Mullins team, making a chase debut here so holds obvious claims.
Ag Obair Go Crua was a winner at Tramore a fortnight ago and can back that up quickly in race two on the Fairyhouse card (12.23) with further improvement expected from the John Flavin-trained seven-year-old, despite having to shoulder a 7lb penalty on his back thanks to that win two weeks back.
Race three of the afternoon (12.58) is a two and a half mile novice hurdle and Heron’s butler gets the nod here for the Dermot McLoughlin team, lightly-raced but improving having finished first and then second in his last two starts.
Race four on the Fairyhouse card (1.33) sees 19 runners take on the two mile maiden hurdle. It is hard to look past the Willie Mullins-trained Roc Dino here, third in a juvenile contest in France and swooped up by Closutton off the back of it so should kick off his Irish stint with a victory.
Race five on the card is a 12-runner mares maiden hurdle over the two and a half mile trip (2.08), with a field of 12 lining up for it. French recruit Noemie De La Vis has to be of big interest here for the Mullins team, a second on nine at Compiegne when last seen nine months ago and is a very intriguing recruit for a yard that raids France often.
A field of 15 will tackle the two and a half mile maiden hurdle for race six on the card (2.43) and in-from Gordon Elliott can pick up the win here with Needs Must, seventh at Naas 31 days ago but that was after a nine-month break so should improve for that spin, while the penultimate race of the afternoon (3.18) can head the way of Blue Reed for the Cian Collins team, still a maiden after 23 runs but is very much back in the right direction after a good second at Punchestown last time out so could be about to break his duck.
Finally, the card comes to a close with another handicap hurdle over the two and a half mile distance (3.52) and of the 18 runners set to line up, preference heads the way of Back To Call for Shark Hanlon, a good third last time out at Down Royal, finishing strongly so should be bang in there once again.
Fairyhouse selections – Thursday (via Sporting Life)
11.53 – Coral River
12.23 – Ag Obair Go Crua
12.58 – Heron’s Butler
1.33 – Roc Dino
2.08 – Noemie De La Vis
2.43 – Needs Must
3.18 – Blue Reed
3.52 – Back To Call
