Stage set for superb Festival

An outstanding four-day Irish National Hunt Festival, beginning at Punchestown today, is in prospect with top-class performers from both sides of the Irish Sea set to compete for record prize money of over €1.7 million.

Moscow Flyer, the best two-mile chaser of recent years, will be a warm order to land the Grade 1 BETDAQ.com Champion Chase today at 3.15pm, in which he faces six rivals, while the Grade 3 Ellier Developments Novice Chase at 2.40pm may only have four runners but is nevertheless a fascinating event.

Lord Sam, trained by Victor Dartnall in Devon, is unbeaten over fences and makes his eagerly-awaited reappearance after missing Cheltenham and Aintree with an infection and his Punchestown rivals are Hi Cloy, winner of the Grade 1 Powers Gold Cup on his latest start, Nil Desperandum, who is expected to come on for his third place in that event, and Sum Leader.

There are 13 declared in the Grade 1 Evening Herald Champion Novice Hurdle at 3.50pm and all eyes will be on the clash between Brave Inca, winner of the Letheby & Christopher Supreme Novices´ Hurdle at Cheltenham, and the Steve Gollings-trained Royal Shakespeare, a stylish winner at Aintree. The Willie Mullins-trained Royal Alphabet, successful in all three of his starts over hurdles, adds further interest to the two-mile event.

Wednesday´s card is headed by the Grade 1 Punchestown Heineken Gold Cup at 3.50pm, in which last year´s winner, the French-trained First Gold, looks set to meet Cheltenham Gold Cup third Harbour Pilot, Michael Hourigan´s stable star Beef Or Salmon, Rince Ri and the Royal & SunAlliance Chase winner Rule Supreme.

Nicky Henderson, who sent over Royal Rosa to capture the Grade 1 Paddy Power Champion INH Flat Race (5pm on Wednesday) 12 months ago, has entered Foxton Brook against some useful rivals including seven five-day entries from Willie Mullins´ stable, Aintree bumper runner-up Young Scotton and Best Mate´s half-sister Sidalcea, trained by Edward O´Grady.

Wednesday´s concluding Cox´s Cash & Carry Champion Hunters Chase at 5.35pm could see recent Cheltenham winner Bright Approach take on some of the top Irish performers.

All eyes will be on the Jonjo O´Neill-trained Iris´s Gift on Thursday when he lines up for the Grade 1 Ballymore Properties Champion Stayers´ Hurdle at 4.20pm as he bids to emulate the great Istabraq by winning graded races at the Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown festivals in the same season. A 50-strong supporting party is travelling over with the grey´s Cheshire-based owner Robert Lester.

Iris´s Gift´s stablemates Hasty Prince, a convincing winner at Sandown on Friday, and Rhinestone Cowboy, the Grade 1 Martell Cognac Aintree Hurdle victor, are other possibles along with the Nicky Henderson-trained Mon Villez and Sunny Flight, trained in France by Arnaud Chaille-Chaille for race sponsor Sean Mulryan.

The preceding Grade 1 Swordlestown Cup Novice Chase at 3.50pm on Thursday could feature the likes of the Tom Taaffe-trained Kicking King and Hi Cloy.

The Colm McEvoy Auctioneers Championship 4YO Hurdle at 3.15pm on Thursday features an intriguing clash between Made In Japan, the JCB Triumph Hurdle winner at Cheltenham, and Al Eile, who turned the tables on that rival in the four-year-old hurdle at Aintree.

Last year´s winner Buailtes And Fadas, the Martin Pipe-trained Sulphur Springs and Ferdy Murphy´s Luzcadou are among those entered in the Quins Of Baltinglass Chase for the La Touche Cup over Punchestown´s unique banks course at 2.40pm on Thursday.

Friday´s Grade 1 Emo Oil Champion Hurdle at 3.45pm has attracted 14 entries at today´s five-day confirmation stage and the two-mile event is shaping into a classic. The Smurfit Champion Hurdle winner Hardy Eustace is set to reoppose last year´s Cheltenham winner and this season´s runner-up Rooster Booster.

Roscoff, trained by Arnaud Chaille-Chaille, has been supplemented yesterday for the Emo Oil Champion Hurdle at cost of €16,000 while the 2003 winner Quazar, trained by Jonjo O´Neill, is also engaged as are his stablemates Rhinestone Cowboy and Hasty Prince. Solerina, trained by James Bowe, could also be in the line up after two wins on the Flat.

Brave Inca and Royal Shakespeare both remain in Friday´s Grade 1 Menolly Homes Champion Novice Hurdle (4.55pm) in which other notable entries include the Willie Mullins-trained Sadler´s Wings and Be Fair, who is unbeaten over hurdles in three starts for Newmarket trainer Don Cantillon but has not run since November.

The valuable €90,000 Sharp Minds Betfair Novice Handicap Chase at 4.20pm on Friday has 32 remaining entries after yesterday´s five-day stage with the seven trained in Britain including Rosslea, representing the Best Mate connections of owner Jim Lewis and trainer Henrietta Knight.

No less than 38 British trainers as well as two from France have entered horses for this year´s Irish National Hunt Festival, either at the early-closing or five-day stages, and Dick O´Sullivan, Punchestown´s General Manager, is delighted with the interest in this year´s fixture.

'Virtually every major stable in Britain as well as a host of smaller yards will be represented at Punchestown this week, competing for record prize money against the best performers in Ireland,' said O´Sullivan.

'Following First Gold´s historic first French-trained victory at the Irish National Hunt Festival last year we are delighted to see him entered again as well as further French entries from Arnaud Chaille-Chaille. The stage is set for four fantastic days of racing.'

Punchestown´s Racing Manager, Richie Galway, reports the course to be in perfect shape ahead of the Festival with the ground now Yielding.