Sunday Fairyhouse Racing Tips Dave Stevos
Sunday Fairyhouse Racing Tips and Preview
The Grand National meeting continues at Fairyhouse on Sunday. The big one is on Monday but today’s card is top notch too. The weather has been kind in the last couple of weeks and there will no excuses on the ground front for any runners. We have a couple of Grade 1s to get stuck into as well as a couple of cracking handicaps. Let’s hope we can turn the corner after a tough few days, especially on Saturday. Check out Dave Stevos’ Sunday Fairyhouse racing tips below…
2.20 – Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (4yo+)
First up is a typically competitive 22 runner handicap hurdle for novices. It is a wide open heat and Regina Dracones will be popular after winning two course handicaps over further on her last two outings. However, the ground will be different today and the drop back in trip may not play to her strengths. The one I am taking a chance on at far bigger odds is Buck Rogers. This fella is trained by Michael Bowe and he is a lightly enough raced half brother to top class bumper performer Fayonagh.
He has won two races so far, over 19f on heavy and 20f on soft. However, I think this drying ground may well bring out the best in him. The son of Dubai Destination makes his handicap debut off a mark of 116 and that looks more than fair. He was conceding almost a stone to Beating The Odds when he beat him by 5.5L and he has since scored in a handicap off 102.
The run may have come too soon when he was well beat at Punchestown a week after that win. He wasn’t disgraced when finishing 5th last time out at Thurles. The trip that day probably stretched him and he may have had a minor issue as Brian Hayes reported he hung right. He has been freshened up by his trainer since and the booking of Robbie Power is eye-catching. Bowe does well at Fairyhouse (3 winners, 20 top 4 finishers from 45 runners) and at odds of 40/1 a small each way interest is advised.
Sunday Fairyhouse Racing Tips: Buck Rogers e/w @ 40/1 (6 places skybet)
2.50 – Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2)
Nine novices will battle it out for this Grade 2, 16f hurdle. Lorna Fowler had one run a blinder in the bumper here on Saturday and I think Colonel Mustard could run a big race for her in this. She has always spoken very highly of this horse and he has yet to run a bad race.
He found just Ballyadam too good when finishing 2nd on his hurdling debut at Down Royal in October (16f sft). I think he found the heavy ground tough going on his last start at Punchestown. However, he still ran with credit in a race that has produced winners. He didn’t jump perfectly on both starts but he gained valuable experience and he did improve in that area on his second hurdles run.
This horse has a serious pedigree. His dam is a half sister to a German Derby winner and also to the dam of St Leger winner Masked Marvel. Those horses all enjoyed nice ground and his sire Makfi has a 29% strike rate on good/good to soft in comparison to 18% on soft and 16% on heavy. The good to yielding ground should be right up Colonel Mustard’s street. While he will admittedly need to improve now stepped up in class, that is very possible. Master McShee and Thedevilscoachman are clearly talented horses, but so is Colonel Mustard. I think he is capable of outrunning his odds of 33/1.
Sunday Fairyhouse Racing Tips: Colonel Mustard e/w @ 33/1
3.20 – Mares’ Novice Championship Final (Grade 1)
This is a cracking contest and the one that looks a shade overpriced is Skyace. Trained by Shark Hanlon, this mare has been a credit to connections this season. She landed a Grade 3 at Down Royal back in October, belying her odds of 66/1. The bookies clearly believed that was a fluke as she was sent off at 28/1 dropped to Listed company on her next outing, The result was the same though as she scooted home by 5L.
The bookmakers again dismissed her chances last time out at Cheltenham. She was sent off at 28/1 and while she didn’t win, she ran an absolute cracker to finish 4th. Skyace had a couple of today’s rivals well behind and the step back up to 20f today looks sure to play to her strengths. She has had just 17 days to get over those exertions but she had a three month break before her festival run so that isn’t too much of a worry. The Shark reckons she has a decent chance and I have to agree. At odds of 13/2, Skyace is the each way selection.
Sunday Fairyhouse Racing Tips: Skyace e/w @ 13/2
3.50 – Novices Hurdle (Grade 2)
I think the one to be on here may well be Ashdale Bob. He needs to bounce back from a dreadful run in a Grade 1 last time but the 22f trip was probably too far for him on such testing ground. Jessica Harrington’s charge was very impressive when winning a Grade 2 at Navan over today’s trip three runs back. He won a soft ground 20f maiden at the same track on his previous outing and it looks his optimum trip. This lightly raced sort has yet to encounter ground better than soft. However, his pedigree suggests he could well relish it.
Ashdale Bob fell early on his penultimate start, also a Grade 1, but hopefully his completion last time will have restored his confidence. Jessica Harrington rattled the crossbar a couple of times on Saturday with big-priced runners so she has her string in good nick. Puppy Power is back in the saddle and while he hasn’t won on this fella yet, he is usually good on keen sorts like him. He had over 6L in hand over Gabynako at Navan when he won that G2. I don’t think a 5lb pull warrants him being twice the price of Gavin Cromwell’s charge. With a clear round he shouldn’t be far away and at 16/1, Ashdale Bob is the e/w selection.
Sunday Fairyhouse Racing Tips: Ashdale Bob e/w @ 16/1 NB
4.25 – Novices’ Handicap Chase (Grade B)
Given his good record at Fairyhouse, I think Brawler has a fighting chance in this novice handicap chase. This 6yo started out in France with Andre Fabre and he now finds himself based in Mullingar with Ciaran Murphy,. He has done a good job since taking the reins from Dot Love and this son of Teofilo could go well for him on Sunday. Brawler was a handicap hurdle winner at this track off 107 for Peter Fahey (20f sft). He was then beat off 115 on good to yielding at Punchestown, just 4L behind the winner.
Good to yielding is ideal for this fella and he gets his optimum conditions this afternoon. He has had five chase starts for these connections, all on soft and heavy ground. Two of them came here over 21f and over 16f and he was placed on both occasions. Murphy’s charge has 7L to find with Jungle Junction from their clash at Naas last time (16f sft/hvy) but he is now 10lb better off with that rival. Conor Orr’s 3lb claim also negates the fact that he is 2lb wrong at the weights. Hopefully Brawler can scrap his way into the money at odds of 22/1.
Sunday Fairyhouse Racing Tips: Brawler e/w @ 22/1 NAP (4 places)
5.00 – Gold Cup Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
The last race I’ll be looking at today is this 20f Grade 1 chase for novices. The intriguing horse in this race has to be Cedarwood Road. Trained by local handler Gearoid O’Loughlin, this horse has been brought along slowly. This 6yo son of Stowaways showed huge potential over hurdles. He signed off last season with a Listed win at Naas (19f yld/sft), beating none other than Beacon Edge. He had previously demolished a 25 runner field in a maiden at Leopardstown (16f sft) on St Stephens’ Day.
This season he started off back at Naas over 19f in a heavy ground beginners’ chase. He didn’t run to form but it was much more like it next time back on better ground at Leopardstown. Okay, he was beat 10L by The Big Getaway into 2nd but he just seemed to run out of steam over the 21f trip. He made no mistake when winning easier than the winning distance suggests last time at Gowran (20f sft) and that will have boosted his confidence no end.
He was careful enough over a couple of his fences but he jumped well in the main and he now takes a big step up in class. I think this nicer ground is really going to suit him and his trainer has likely had this race in mind for some time. His Gowran run should have left him spot on and Sean Flanagan is a positive jockey booking. He won’t have to improve a huge amount to trouble the best of these and I think he is worth backing each-way at odds of 14/1.
