1st - €11,820.00 2nd - €4,000.00 3rd - €2,000.00 4th - €1,000.00 5th - €600.00 6th - €400.00 Overcast

FormscanBy Michael Graham - A New Year’s Eve treat with an Irish Grand National winner clashing with a former Cheltenham Gold Cup hero and a Cesarewitch victor. It’s great to see Sizing John, the Gold Cup winner of 2017, back in action but it has been well documented that he has been absent for over two years, so he couldn’t be put forward as a value bet at around 4/1. His Punchestown form reads 4211311, so this looks a good track for him to make his comeback at. Irish Grand National winner Burrows Saint reappeared over a similar trip as this in the Grade 1 Drinmore in Fairyhouse at the start of the month and came in third, beaten over 25 lengths by Fakir D’oudairies. He is not the worst double-figure odds bet albeit you would expect him to come into his own over more stamina-sapping trips. His stablemate, SAGLAWY, could be the one for this assignment. The French-bred gelding’s third places in a Grade A handicap hurdle at Fairyhouse and behind the ill-fated Espoir D’allen in a Grade 3 at Limerick last December show that he has plenty of talent for this game. Subsequent Galway Hurdle winner Tudor City was a place in front of him in second at Fairyhouse. Saglawy was unplaced in his last outings on the Flat but they should leave him ripe for this. Stratum isn’t out of it. He won the Cesarewitch at Newmarket in October and has mixed between the Flat and hurdling to good effect. He was ninth in this year’s Galway Hurdle.

A hurdle for four years old and upwards that since 29th April, 2018 have not won more than two weight-for-age hurdle races or a Grade 1, Grade 2 or Grade 3 weight-for age hurdle race
Weights - 4-y-o 11st ;5-y-o and up 11st 4lbs ;Mares allowed 7lbs ;
Penalties - to count from 29th April, 2018 Winner of a hurdle race 4lb extra Of two hurdle races or one value more than ?12000 8Handicapper.