Fairyhouse Tips For Sunday, Including Hatton's Grace Hurdle
See below our Fairyhouse tips on a big Sunday at the County Meath Irish track with three top Grade One races. These include the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle, the Drinmore Novice Chase and the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle – three races that will give horse racing fans many clues for the season ahead.
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Fairyhouse Racing Tips For Sunday 3rd December 2023
A huge day for Irish horse racing at Fairyhouse on Sunday with three top Grade One races that will give fans plenty more clues to the season ahead and the big meetings – including the Cheltenham Festival and Aintree Grand National Meeting and Punchestown Festival.
The Grade One Royal Bond Novice Hurdle (1:25pm) is a race trainer Willie Mullins has won nine times in the past and he’ll be trying to make that ten with Bialystok and Horantzau D’airy. But the exciting Henry De Bromhead runner An Tobar is the one propping up the betting.
Next up is the Drinmore Noivce Chase (2:00pm) and all eyes will be on the Gavin Cromwell-trained Letsbeclearaboutit, who is 2-from-2 over fences. We also see last season’s Irish Grand National winner I Am Maximus dropping back in trip, plus the 10 year-old Sharjah, who has started life over fences late in his career.
However, it’s also a race the Gordon Elliott yard have won seven times in the past – more than any other trainer – so his Found A Fifty – is sure to be popular too.
Then, the final Grade One on a jam-packed Fairyhouse card, is the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle (2:35pm). This is a race the former Champion Hurdler Honeysuckle won three times in his career and Sunday’s renewal looks a crackerjack of a contest too with the exciting Impaire Et Passe and Teahupoo, who are both rated 160, going head-to-head.
Fairyhouse Tips For Royal Bond Hurdle
1:25 – Bar One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle (Grade 1) (4yo+) 2m: ENCANTO BRUNO at 3/1 with BetMGM
CD winner An Tobar won well here last time out and will be popular for the Rachael Blackmore and Henry De Bromhead combo. However, it was also hard to not be impressed with the way Encanto Bruno won at Cheltenham last time out in October. This Gavin Cromwell-trained 5 year-old has now won two of his three hurdles starts and got off the mark on his first try for his new yard (formerly with John C McConnell. We also know he stays further than this 2m trip, so that will help in the likely soft ground.
Of the rest, this is a race the Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott yards like to win, so their entries Bailystok and Horantzau D’ariy (Mullins) and What’s Up Darlin (Elliott) are respected as well.
Fairyhouse Tips For Drinmore Novice Chase
2:00 – Bar One Racing Drinmore Novice Chase (Grade 1) (4yo+) 2m4f: FOUND A FIFTY at 2/1 with BetMGM
Useful hurdler Sharjah has started life over fences late but has taken to them well – winning both starts, but this 10 year-old (going on 11) might just find some younger legs too good now upped in grade. Course winner Letsbeclearaboutit looks the one to beat after two smooth wins at Gowran Park and Cork.
However, this is a race the Gordon Elliott yard have a top record in – winning it six times since 2013. Some of these winners have been with their top horses too – Delta Work, Don Cossack, Envoi Allen and Mighty Potter last year.
They run Found Fifty here, who caught the eye winning on chase debut at Down Royal last month – beating the useful Colonel Mustard by 8 lengths. More on his plate here but looks the type to make a better chaser and with only six career runs in total should also have a lot more to come.
Fairyhouse Tips For Hatton’s Grace Hurdle
2:35 – Bar One Racing Hatton’s Grace Hurdle (Grade 1) (4yo+) 2m4½f IMPAIRE ET PASSE at 4/7 with BetMGM
A fascinating renewal of this top Grade One race that has been won by the likes of Honeysuckle (3) and Apple’s Jade (3) in recent years. While the older readers might remember Limestone Lad mopping up three wins too for the James Bowe camp back in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s.
This year’s contest looks a Mullins and Elliott benefit race with the top Irish trainers having four of the five runners between them. With two of their starts – Impaire Et Passe and Teahupoo – the main players to focus on and are both rated 160.
Teahupoo was third in the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March and then ran fourth in the Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown. But the drop back in trip looks a good move here and loves Fairyhouse – his form here reads 1-1-2-1.
But, the Mullins-trained Impaire Et Passe hit the headlines many times last season, when winning the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham – beating Gaelic Warrior by 6 1/2 lengths and we all know what that horse has gone onto do to boost the form (watch below).
He added the Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown at the end of April and comes here 4-from-4 over hurdles. Out of Novice company for the first time but he’s a very exciting prospect and is taken to remain unbeaten and be a big player in the top hurdle races for rest of the season.
