Drinmore Novice Chase NAP and NB: His trainer pinpointed this race immediately It's a massive day at Fairyhouse on Sunday with a card that includes a double helping of Grade 1 action amongst six races at Listed/Graded level. The first of the Grade 1 contests is the Bar One Betting Drinmore Novice Chase over an extended two-and-a-half-miles at 2.05pm, with six runners declared. Gordon Elliott holds the record in this race, with eight wins, including with the likes of Don Cossack (2013), Delta Work (2018), Envoi Allen (2020), Mighty Potter (2022) and Croke Park last year in a thrilling finish. Since 2010, Elliott (eight) and Willie Mullins (three) have provided 11 of the 15 winners and both are doubly represented in this year's sextet. Our expert has picked out a pair to follow in the Drinmore Novice Chase at Fairyhouse. Cobden's Captain a Mullins contender Harry Cobden heads to Fairyhouse for one ride (at the time of writing) on Sunday afternoon and that comes on Captain Cody for the Mullins camp. They were last spotted landing the Scottish Grand National at Ayr in April, as the Closutton maestro retained his British trainers' title. Captain Cody was a Grade 2-winning hurdler over 2m4f around here in the spring of 2024, but his best form over fences has come at three miles and more, with that Ayr success over the marathon four miles. He travelled sweetly and was only just urged clear late on by Cobden under joint-top-weight, but this still looks a taller order, dropping dramatically in trip and rising in grade. Paul Townend, meanwhile, is on Gold Dancer in the Gigginstown silks, winner of his last three starts over fences, including a pair of Grade 3s at Galway and Tipperary - the form of which has been handsomely advertised since. Romeo Coolio the one to beat Elliott saddles both the 146-rated Pied Piper and ROMEO COOLIO and the Cullentra handler will be disappointed if Jack Kennedy's mount does not extend his domination of this contest in recent times. The Kayf Tara gelding won the Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown last Christmas and was placed in both the Supreme at Cheltenham and the Top Novices' Hurdle at Aintree behind the likes of Kopek Des Bordes and Salvator Mundi afterwards. Connections soon made their intentions of going novice chasing known and he took up this pursuit at Down Royal (2m4f, good to yielding) a month ago in a race his trainer loves to target with a good horse. He travelled with gusto under Kennedy and easily came clear to join the likes of Mighty Potter, Envoi Allen and Delta Work as winner of that beginners' chase that would subsequently rock up here. "It couldn't have been more straightforward," said Elliott at Down Royal, with both trainer and jockey effusive in their praise of his jumping technique. He looks tailor-made for this race and can enhance his trainer's stunning Drinmore record, as the odds suggest he should. Dingle can lay a claim for Griffin The Mullins-trained Gold Dancer could be the chief threat, his form in the book suggests so, but OL MAN DINGLE is progressive in this sphere and looks a player too for Eoin Griffin and Ricky Doyle. A three-times hurdles winner, he lacked the class of Romeo Coolio in that sphere, but could better anything Gold Dancer managed. He already seems destined for much better things as a chaser. He denied next-time-out scorer Will The Wise from the Gavin Cromwell team on his chasing debut at Galway (2m2f, yielding) in October, despite ceding experience and he did it seemingly with something up his sleeve. A Grade 3 at Cork over this trip was next on his agenda and, again, he was equal to the challenge despite being pressed hard by You Oughta Know, with Mossy Fen Park and Nurburgring well held behind them. It's hard to know where his ceiling lies, but his trainer pinpointed this race immediately and he could be best of the rest behind Romeo Coolio.
