Fairyhouse Festival News

Paul Nolan's exciting young chaser Joncol will make a bid to win a fourth successive race in Sunday's feature E100,000 Powers Gold Cup providing that there is a cut in the ground at Fairyhouse.

The son of Bob's Return, who was among 14 remaining after today's forfeits stage, went into many people's notebooks when he easily won the Grade 2 Woodlands Park 100 Nas Na Riogh Novice Chase at Naas in February by 10 lengths, before following up with a comfortable 12 lengths victory at the same venue in a novice chase on his last start in March to remain unbeaten during the current campaign.

The Co Wexford trainer said: "He's a very nice horse who is only six and I have been very pleased with him this season. The plan is to run but it is definitely ground dependent as he has to have soft in the ground description, with it being yielding to soft at best. Hopefully the forecast rain comes and eases it to the way that he likes it. His jumping this season has been good but on better ground he might lack the experience for a fast run race over 2m 4f at Fairyhouse."

Six and seven-year-olds have won 11 of the last 16 renewals of this Grade 1 event and Nolan has also declared another in this age bracket in the shape of Moskova, who has won two Grade 3 mares novice chases on her last two starts at Thurles and Limerick.

The trainer added: "There are a few different options with her and we'll see what happens. She also certainly gets further than 2m 4f and her win at Limerick was over a couple of furlongs more. She is a very well-bred mare and again she is only six with more contests to come and she will be very nice for next season. She handles heavy but ran very well at the Punchestown Festival last year when third on a better surface and is not as ground dependent as Joncol."

Willie Mullins has declared four horses including Golden Silver, who took the Irish Arkle at Leopardstown in January by a head from subsequent English Arkle hero Forpadydeplasterer, and Barker, the winner of his last two outings at Downpatrick and Navan. The Co Carlow trainer, whose quartet is completed by Jayo and Deutschland, will make a final decision about running plans over the next few days.

Trafford Lad, the five and a half length winner from Forpadydeplasterer of the Bar One Racing Drinmore Novice Chase at Fairyhouse in November, is another possible and his handler Eamon Sheehy took this race with Justified in 2006. Noel Meade has left in Aran Concerto, who hasn't been seen in public since making a winning debut over fences at Navan in November.

The Powers Gold Cup has been won by some top-class horses in the past including Merry Gale (1994), Dorans Pride (1997), Rince Ri (1999), Native Upmanship (2000), Like A Butterfly (2005) and Justified (2006).

A cracking card on Sunday at Fairyhouse also features the E62,500 INH Stallion Owners European Breeders Fund Novice Handicap Hurdle Series Final, which has attracted 53 entries, the E50,000 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Novice Hurdle Championship Final , a Grade 3 event with 21 entries, and the Grade 2 E45,000 Rathbarry and Glenview Studs Novice Hurdle, which has attracted 19 entries.

The last of these three high-class contests has attracted both Cousin Vinny, trained by Willie Mullins, and the Colm Murphy-trained Zaarito. The former was a beaten favourite in fifth behind Go Native on his last start in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, while Zaarito filled the same position behind the same winner in a Grade 2 event at Naas in February.

The ground at Fairyhouse is currently Good to Yielding, Caroline Gray, General Manager Fairyhouse Racecourse said: "We had no rain on Monday night after having 5.3mm between 9am and 4.30pm during the day. The forecast is mixed with some more rain today, mainly dry tomorrow until the night and then some more rain Thursday and Friday."