Names to note: six horses worth monitoring at Fairyhouse's Easter festival
Riders Onthe Storm: Tom Taaffe-trained six-year-old bids for redemption at Fairyhouse
Sunday
Eglantine Du Seuil
EBF Mares Novice Hurdle Championship Final (2.50)
Willie Mullins fields seven in the Grade 1 EBF Mares Novice Hurdle Championship Final and it is perhaps significant that Ruby Walsh has elected to ride Eglantine Du Seuil.
The rapidly improving five-year-old provided Noel Fehily with his final Cheltenham Festival winner in the Grade 2 Mares' Novices' Hurdle on her last start, defying odds of 50-1 in the process.
Eglantine Du Seuil (red): daughter of Saddler Maker wins the Grade 2 mares? novices? hurdle
Patrick McCann
The daughter of Saddler Maker was making her first start since September when she finished behind Triplicate and subsequent Leopardstown Grade 1 winner and Aintree runner-up Aramon.
Riders Onthe Storm
Boylesports Novice Handicap Chase (3.50)
The hopes of trainer Tom Taaffe saddling a first Cheltenham Festival winner in a decade were crushed at the sixth fence of the Close Brothers' Novices' Handicap Chase when Riders Onthe Storm fell.
Perhaps connections can draw encouragement from the six-year-old failing to show his hand to the assessor on his first start in handicap company, and he now races off a 1lb lower Irish mark of 139.
Supporting runners after a fall comes with risks attached, but a third to Hardline and Getabird in a Grade 1 at Limerick bodes well for an unexposed type who we have likely not yet seen the best of.
Winter Escape
Ryanair Gold Cup Novice Chase (4.25)
With each of Winter Escape's four rivals participating in the ferocity of the Cheltenham Festival last month, trainer Aidan Anthony Howard could be licking his lips at the prospect of his stable star arriving fresh at Fairyhouse for this Grade 1 contest.
The eight-year-old had found a new lease of life over fences before blotting his copybook somewhat when fifth to La Bague Au Roi in the Flogas Novice Chase in February, but prior to that he gave weight and a beating to the top-class A Plus Tard.
Winter Escape: found a new lease of life over fences
CAROLINE NORRIS
A brace of Gordon Elliott and Willie Mullins-trained rivals stand in the way of Winter Escape earning a first Grade 1 victory, but Howard would likely have pinpointed this target from some way out and his representative is right in the mix on ratings.
Robbie Wilders
Monday
A prolific winner in France when trained by Guy Cherel, Darasso has improved for each start since joining Joseph O'Brien's yard and now seeks a hat-trick following Grade 3 and Grade 2 victories.
He comfortably fended off subsequent Topham winner Cadmium when last seen despite some average jumping, and will only improve for that effort.
Darasso (far side): denied Cadmium last time
Patrick McCann
Darasso may face another Willie Mullins-trained performer in the shape of Un De Sceaux and he will have plenty to find at the weights, but this unexposed sort looks set to feature in Grade 1 contests in the future and can go close for owner JP McManus.
Pairofbrowneyes
BoyleSports Irish Grand National Chase (5.00)
This relatively unexposed ten-year-old has only had five starts for Willie Mullins, but looks to be a plot horse and will have had this as his main target all season.
He fell early when favourite for this contest last year and although he disappointed on his first two starts of this campaign, he bounced back with a comfortable success last time out at Naas.
The trip isn't a problem and he has handled good ground in the past. What's more, he has been the subject of ante-post support since being taken out of the Grand National earlier this month.
Andy Dufresne
Cawley Furniture (Pro/Am) INH Flat Race (6.10)
Gordon Elliott loves this five-year-old and described him as "as good as any bumper horse we have run this year" after his debut at Down Royal in January.
He absolutely bolted up on that occasion and, unsurprisingly for a £330,000 purchase, connections decided to miss the Cheltenham Festival in favour of a long-term plan.
Andy Dufresne: hacked up on debut
Patrick McCann
Rain will probably be required for him to take his place in this race, but if he does line up he will prove hard to beat. A real name for the future.
Tom Collins
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