2023 Fairyhouse Easter Sunday Preview – DS
2023 Fairyhouse Easter Sunday Tips
Just one measly place on Saturday with Morning Spirit at 16s. Risk D’Argent and Sirobbie ran no sort of races. Brian Ellison did manage to get a winner but it wasn’t with Chillhi who looked like he would benefit massively for the run. Fools Rush In was far too keen and Count D’Orsay got going too late. I even managed to put the mockers on the irrepressible Billy Loughnane who had a ‘mare aboard Wickywickywheels. Hopefully we can turn things around in Ireland, Dave Stevos’ 2023 Fairyhouse Easter Sunday tips are below.
2.00 – Novice Handicap Hurdle (123 = 11st 12)
It is rare that a Fairyhouse Grand National Festival passes by without an Eddie Cawley winner. He won this race in 2018 with Nobody Home and he fires two bullets this year. They are both 33/1, they are both entered over 16f on Monday and the way things have been going so far this weekend, you can be sure I am going to back the wrong one.
Don’t Go Yet, the mount of Conor Brassil, has run well twice at Fairyhouse before, over 16f on soft. With rain forecast on Sunday night, he might end up going for that race instead. Philip Enright is Cawley’s go to jockey these days and he gets the leg up on Petit King. This horse is less exposed than his stablemate having had just eight runs and while he has yet to run at his local track, he has shown his best form going right handed.
Best Form
His best maiden form came at Limerick over 16f on heavy (5th) and Punchestown at the same trip on soft (4th). He was in the process of running well when falling at the last on his handicap debut on heavy at Gowran. Three poor runs followed that effort but he showed signs of life when beat 9L into 4th at Down Royal last time out.
This son of Creachadoir has yet to encounter yielding ground. His dam was best on good/good to soft and while he probably doesn’t want it like the road, the yielding ground today could bring out the best in him. As was mentioned earlier, Cawley won this in 2018, his only runner since came 6th last year, hopefully Petit King can run well for him in this year’s renewal at odds of 33/1.
2023 Fairyhouse Easter Sunday Tip: Petit King e/w @ 33/1 (6 places)
2.35 – Honeysuckle Mares’ Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)
All eyes will be on Princess Zoe in this G1. She ran a massive race at Cheltenham (17f sft) on just her second run over hurdles and this trip ought to suit her a whole lot better. She should be fine on the yielding ground though ideally, she’d probably prefer conditions to be a bit softer. There are no doubts about this mare’s toughness but she’s going to need to jump better than she has so far. She may just find a couple too good again.
The one I’ll be backing here at very big odds is Jarlath Fahey’s mare, Whatcouldhavebeen. She caught my eye when looking back at the replay of the G3 Ashroe Diamond won here back in January. That race was over 18f and the one that finished strongest of all was Whatcouldhavebeen. She was only 2.75L behind the winner at the line and it was a rapidly diminishing margin.
Next time at Punchestown she was 4th behind a few of these over 21f at Punchestown. However, it wasn’t Aidan Kelly’s finest hour in the saddle. He found traffic problems at an inopportune moment and while you couldn’t say she would have won, she’d certainly have got a bit closer to the principals with a kinder trip.
Fairyhouse will suit her better. She won her maiden there and she ran her career best there on her last visit. There is no way you could look at the finish of that G3 back in January and make Ashroe Diamond 11/4, Halka Du Tabert 7/1 and Whatcouldhavebeen 66/1. At those odds, she simply has to be backed e/w.
2023 Fairyhouse Easter Sunday Tip: Whatcouldhavebeen e/w @ 66/1 (4 places) NB
3.10 – Paddy Kehoe Novice Hurdle (Grade 2)
No prizes for guessing who we are backing here. We were on Banjaxed at half decent odds when he was a well backed 2nd on his hurdling debut at Navan (16f gd/yld). I saw enough in that run to go in again at massive odds in a G2 at Kelso (18f gd/sft) and while we did our money, this son of Blue Bresil ran a cracker of a race to finish 5th. It looked like Kieran Buckley rode him to make sure he got the trip and not only did it look like he got every inch, he shaped like he’d be better over further.
Banjaxed got to within 10L of what I think is a very talented horse in Nemean Lion. Colonel Harry adds further strength to the form. In 4th, 2.75L ahead of our selection at Kelso, was Feronily. He dotted up in a Limerick maiden next time and he’s in a G3 at Cork tomorrow so clearly, he’s pretty well regarded by Emmett Mullins. This horse reminds me a bit of Colonel Mustard, another Lorna Fowler horse that was underestimated by the bookies during his Novice career. He nicked a place for us at 40s at this meeting in 2021, hopefully Banjaxed can follow in his hoofsteps.
2023 Fairyhouse Easter Sunday Tip: Banjaxed e/w @ 40/1
4.20 – Novice Handicap Chase (Grade B)
Barnacullia is of interest now back in trip and back in handicap company. We backed this horse at Navan in January when he ran a stinker over hurdles. Of course on his next start he ran a massive race at the Dublin Racing Festival at huge odds. He was beat just 4L into 2nd at Leopardstown (17f yld) off 129 and he has had excuses for his two runs since (trip/grade 3).
Now, he is back on the same ground he had at Leopardstown and he comes into this race with his yard in red hot form. The handicapper has raised his mark 2lbs to 131 but when you consider that Final Orders ran well at Cheltenham off a 10lbs higher mark subsequently, that doesn’t look too bad of a hike. The 5th, Rebel Gold, landed a G3 next time out too. Keith Donoghue knows this horse well, hopefully he can steer him into the places at odds of 14/1.
2023 Fairyhouse Easter Sunday Tip: Barnacullia e/w @ 14/1 NAP
4.55 – Gold Cup Chase (Grade 1)
Nothing jumps out at a price in the day’s feature. Adamantly Chosen is the only one that makes any sort of appeal but his main aim could well be Punchestown. A race to watch and enjoy. No bet.
