Connections to watch: 'Mullins has two interesting juvenile hurdlers entered' The weather is sure to play its part this weekend but at the moment we have jump racing scheduled to take place at Fairyhouse on Saturday and Punchestown on Sunday. We have the Grade 2 Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle to look forward to at Punchestown and it should be a cracker. We have picked out an owner, trainer and jockey who could be worth following across the weekend’s action in Ireland. Owner - JP McManus It’s hard to escape the familiar green and gold silks of JP McManus, especially as he has horses with the majority of trainers in Ireland. McManus could be in for a good weekend, as he has lots of interesting entries who can make their presence felt. French import Proactif could make his Irish debut in the opening race at Fairyhouse on Saturday and he was a comfortable winner at Auteuil for previous connections. An impressive performance here would put him in the Triumph Hurdle picture. The Dan & Joan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase is offering up a €100,000 prize fund and the useful Inthepocket is among the entries. He’s a Grade 1-winning hurdler and injury cut his novice chase campaign short. There could be loads more to come from him. Karoline Banbou could run at Fairyhouse as well and Pure Steel looks like a lively contender if lining up in a Grade 3 novice chase at Punchestown on Sunday. Trainer - Willie Mullins We’ve hit 2026 now and Willie Mullins is expected to kick on in full gear. He has two interesting juvenile hurdlers entered at Fairyhouse, both of which won nicely at Auteuil for previous connections; the aforementioned Proactif and Macho Man. Cheltenham and Punchestown bumper winner Bambino Fever could manage only second on her hurdling debut but improvement is anticipated and she could line up in Fairyhouse’s mares’ maiden hurdle on Saturday. Western Diego and Blood Destiny are of interest in the big handicap chase and Karoline Banbou is entered in a beginners’ chase. Mullins dominates the entries in the graded novice chase and the Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle, which he has won for the last four years. Royal Ascot winner Sober looks like the most interesting contender, provided the two-mile trip isn’t on the short side. Jockey - Jack Kennedy Jack Kennedy has been flying in recent months and he deserves every bit of it. Gordon Elliott’s stable jockey has been riddled with injury problems over the years and it’s good to see him fit and firing for a sustained period of time. Touch Me Not is ante-post favourite for Fairyhouse’s feature race and Kennedy will be first in the queue to ride. It’s also worth noting that Kennedy is Fairyhouse’s leading jockey so far this season. Elliott trains three of the six entries for Punchestown’s Sky Bet Super Sub Novice Chase, all of which won last time out. The Enabler is perhaps the most interesting but it would be unwise to rule out Jacob’s Ladder either. Betfred is rolling out a fantastic upgrade to its Best Odds Guaranteed offer - now offering Best Odds Guaranteed on ALL UK and Irish horse races online and in all shops
