'Fairyhouse’s Festival is not to be missed' - An owner, trainer and jockey to follow in Ireland this weekend We’re being absolutely spoiled this weekend and there’s Grade 1 action on both sides of theIrish Sea. Fairyhouse’s two-day Winter Festival is not to be missed and we’ll get to see some excellent horses, including the return of Teahupoo and Ballyburn. Saturday’s card should be very competitive, but the quality goes up a notch on Sunday andwe have both the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle and the Drinmore Novice Chase. The Grade 2 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle is well worth a watch also so it’s going to be a cracker. The big names tend to come to the fore at meetings like this and we’ve selected an owner, trainer and jockey to follow at Fairyhouse this weekend. Owner - JP McManus Ireland’s biggest jumps owner has horses with many trainers across the country so it’s rare to see a meeting go by without his famous green and gold silks being represented. It’s therefore no surprise that he has plenty of representatives on Saturday. The Wallpark progressed rapidly over hurdles last season and ran well at Cheltenham and Aintree in Grade 1 races. He possesses loads of ability and could be a useful novice chaser this term. We should see a much improved performance after a disappointing seasonal debut, although in his defence, the trip would have been plenty sharp enough for him. The lightly raced Uhavemeinstitches made a winning start to her chasing career at Wexford last time out and there should be plenty more to come from her. Mark Walsh rides Padraig Roche’s Miss Pronunciation in the same mares’ handicap chase. Mirazur West looks interesting in the Listed 2m1f handicap chase and former Champion Bumper winner A Dream To Share runs in a handicap hurdle later on in the card. Love Me Tender could line up in the Royal Bond and the unbeaten four-year-old looks very interesting, whilst stablemate Narciso Has might run in the Grade 3 juvenile hurdle and trainer Willie Mullins thinks plenty of him. Trainer - Henry de Bromhead It could be a big weekend for Henry de Bromhead and he’s sending two interesting runners over to Newbury for the Coral Gold Cup. Gorgeous Tom and Monty’s Star are both outsiders with decent chances and he could have some winners at home too. Gameball joined the yard after winning a bumper impressively for Andrew Slattery and there was lots to like about his maiden hurdle success at Punchestown last month. The Royal Bond is his likely target on Sunday and a big run could be on the cards. Slade Steel probably underperformed last season but he remains a novice over fences and his 2024 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle victory is elite tier form. He could go for the Drinmore and will surely be a contender if so. Jockey - Jack Kennedy Everyone is praying for an injury-free season for Jack Kennedy and he has a good book of rides on Saturday. Jacob’s Ladder was a Grade 3 winner over hurdles last season and he could run well in Fairyhouse’s opening race. Gordon Elliott rates juvenile hurdler Mange Tout highly and Kennedy will probably be on board if she runs at Fairyhouse on Sunday. Koktail Brutwould be worth considering in the Royal Bond, as would stablemate Port Authority. Romeo Coolio looked like a natural over fences when winning at Down Royal recently and his hurdles form suggests he’s the one to beat in the Drinmore Novice Chase. Top staying hurdler Teahupoo can make a winning start to the season in the Hatton’s Grace.
