Fairyhouse all set for big weekend
Tuesday, 26 March 2024
We are gearing up for the Fairyhouse Easter Festival and are delighted with the strength and depth of the entries
A host of big names have stood their ground for both the Grade 1 Irish EBF Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle and the Grade 1 WillowWarm Gold Cup at Fairyhouse on the middle day of the Fairyhouse Easter Festival on Sunday.
A total of 22 horses remain in the Grade 1 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle with the Fergal O'Brien-trained Sandown Grade 2 winner Springtime Promise leading the way. Another possible raider from across the Irish Sea is Victoria Milano, trained by Alastair Ralph.
Willie Mullins has won this race for the past two seasons and he still has 11 horses to call upon this time with Jade De Grugy, Fun Fun Fun, A Penny A Hundred, Cuta Des As and Miss Manzor among them.
Successful with Jer’s Girl in 2016, Gavin Cromwell looks set to run both Bioluminescence and Only By Night while Gordon Elliott, bidding to win the race for the first time, has left in his Cheltenham Festival runner-up Brighterdaysahead, and Kala Conti. Jessica Harrington could yet be represented by Jetara.
There are nine horses still engaged in the Grade 1 WillowWarm Gold Cup with Willie Mullins represented by Blood Destiny, Il Etait Temps and Tactical Move while Elliott has a trio of his own, Found A Fifty, Saint Felicien and Zanahiyr going forward to Friday’s final declaration stage.
The Jimmy Mangan-trained Spillane’s Tower, Noel Meade’s Flanking Maneuver and Thecompanysergeant, trained by Denis Hogan, also remain in the mix.
Among the highlights on the opening day of the Easter Festival on Saturday is the Rybo Handicap Hurdle. There are 17 horses standing their ground with Joseph O'Brien’s Comfort Zone, a leading juvenile hurdler last season, the Gordon Elliott-trained What’s Up Darling, dual Galway Hurdle winner Tudor City and the Eoin Griffin-trained One Last Tango among the leading contenders.
Peter Roe, General Manager of Fairyhouse Racecourse, said: “We are gearing up for the Fairyhouse Easter Festival and are delighted with the strength and depth of the entries despite the meeting’s proximity to Cheltenham and current ground conditions. The ground is currently heavy, but we have fresh ground on both tracks for all three days and we are all set for a great weekend.”
A total of 22 horses remain in the Grade 1 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle with the Fergal O'Brien-trained Sandown Grade 2 winner Springtime Promise leading the way. Another possible raider from across the Irish Sea is Victoria Milano, trained by Alastair Ralph.
Willie Mullins has won this race for the past two seasons and he still has 11 horses to call upon this time with Jade De Grugy, Fun Fun Fun, A Penny A Hundred, Cuta Des As and Miss Manzor among them.
Successful with Jer’s Girl in 2016, Gavin Cromwell looks set to run both Bioluminescence and Only By Night while Gordon Elliott, bidding to win the race for the first time, has left in his Cheltenham Festival runner-up Brighterdaysahead, and Kala Conti. Jessica Harrington could yet be represented by Jetara.
There are nine horses still engaged in the Grade 1 WillowWarm Gold Cup with Willie Mullins represented by Blood Destiny, Il Etait Temps and Tactical Move while Elliott has a trio of his own, Found A Fifty, Saint Felicien and Zanahiyr going forward to Friday’s final declaration stage.
The Jimmy Mangan-trained Spillane’s Tower, Noel Meade’s Flanking Maneuver and Thecompanysergeant, trained by Denis Hogan, also remain in the mix.
Among the highlights on the opening day of the Easter Festival on Saturday is the Rybo Handicap Hurdle. There are 17 horses standing their ground with Joseph O'Brien’s Comfort Zone, a leading juvenile hurdler last season, the Gordon Elliott-trained What’s Up Darling, dual Galway Hurdle winner Tudor City and the Eoin Griffin-trained One Last Tango among the leading contenders.
Peter Roe, General Manager of Fairyhouse Racecourse, said: “We are gearing up for the Fairyhouse Easter Festival and are delighted with the strength and depth of the entries despite the meeting’s proximity to Cheltenham and current ground conditions. The ground is currently heavy, but we have fresh ground on both tracks for all three days and we are all set for a great weekend.”