Fairyhouse New Year's Day Tips: Four strong fancies for a confident accumulator We’re up to our eyes in racing action across Britain and Ireland on New Years’ Day, with no fewer than nine meetings taking place. Tramore and Fairyhouse host the action in Ireland and the latter provides a very competitive card. Our expert has selected their four strongest fancies from Fairyhouse and they can be combined to form a juicy accumulator on Thursday. 12.25 Fairyhouse - Highland Crystal @ 6/4 This is a two horse race according to the bookies and it’s the lesser fancied of the two who makes the most appeal. Gordon Elliott’s Highland Crystal is unbeaten in two starts over hurdles so far and won very easily in an academy hurdle at Punchestown in November. She then went over to Newbury to contest a Listed race for juvenile fillies and was far too good for her rivals on the day. Winning in the style of a very smart filly, the substantial allowance for four-year-olds won’t do her chances any harm. Jack Kennedy deserts her to ride the Willie Mullins-trained favourite here but that could prove to be a mistake and Paddy Cleary’s 7lb claim could come in handy. 1.00 Fairyhouse - Spinningayarn @ SP Another one for Gordon Elliott, the trainer was complimentary of Spinningayarn in his stable tour a couple of months ago and he should be winning races over hurdles before long. He finished third in a Clonmel maiden hurdle on his first start for 282 days and improvement is anticipated. The six-year-old ran well enough that day but appeared to be lacking the sharpness required to mount a serious challenge to the winner. Elliott’s gelding showed a good attitude to land a bumper at Navan last January, especially as connections expected him to need the run. We haven’t seen the best of him over hurdles yet and it would be no surprise to see him get off the mark at the second time of asking over those obstacles on New Year’s Day.. 2.45 Fairyhouse - Dinoblue @ 2/5 Fairyhouse’s feature race is a Grade 3 mares’ chase and the Willie Mullins-trained Dinoblue is very difficult to oppose. She won the Mares’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival with loads in hand last term and is probably the best horse in this division. No one could get near her at Cheltenham and she was even more dominant at Punchestown soon after, as she won by 35 lengths on the bridle. Second against the boys in the Fortria Chase on seasonal debut, she’ll step forward for that and she needs further than two miles these days. 3.15 Fairyhouse - Wingmen @ 2/1 This beginners’ chase looks like quite a warm affair and Kaid d’Authie will be fancied by many to come out on top. However, Gordon Elliott is in the ascendancy at the moment and his smart novice hurdler Wingmen could be the one to side with. Wingmen placed in a couple of Grade 1 novice hurdles last season and was unfortunate to bump into Final Demand when running over fences for the first time last month. Jack Kennedy’s mount competed in another strong race at Navan after that, going on to finish third. He should be winning races over fences before long and although handicaps could be beneficial further down the line, the eight-year-old can pick up a beginners’ chase first.
