Impaire Et Passe to make chasing debut at Fairyhouse

 The highlight of this weekend’s racing in Ireland arrives at Fairyhouse on Sunday with three Grade 1 races on the card but before that, the Winter Festival at the track kicks off on Saturday with a competitive eight-race meeting.

The action on day one gets underway at 11.35am with a beginners’ chase over the two mile and five furlong trip before the first day rounds off at 3.40pm. as 11 runners tackle the two mile bumper.

Read below to discover the latest tips and a full preview of the day one card at Fairyhouse on saturday courtesy of BoyleSports, who will be offering the latest Leopardstown betting next month.

The Saturday card kicks off with a belting beginners’ chase (11.35) and sees the return to track for the top class Willie Mullins hurdler Impaire Et Passe, making his chasing debut in a contest that has a very good roll of honour as Corbetts Cross won this race last year. Mullins’ six-year-old won a Grade 1 hurdle at Aintree and a Grade 2 hurdle at Sandown last season so is incredibly hard to oppose here in the opener, returning after a seven-month break. Now Is The Hour is taken to follow Mullins’ runner home for trainer Gavin Cromwell, second in a novice chase debut at Cork to end his last campaign.

A field of 13 will head to the start for race two of the afternoon, a two mile and five furlong handicap chase (12.12). Pebble Bleu for trainer Colin Motherway could be the way to go here at a big price, a winner at Punchestown in October but found Listed company a bit too tough at Clonmel last time out but is back in calmer waters here. Gordon Elliott saddled the winner of this race last year with So Des Flos and he sends the hat-trick seeking General Hubble to Fairyhouse off the back of a career-best victory at Punchestown just over a fortnight ago.

A Listed handicap chase marks race three of the day (12.45) over the extended two mile trip and Elliott could bring up an early double on the card with American Mike, who didn’t find much when returning from an eight-month absence when finishing down the field at Naas but should come on for that run and is also dropping down in trip here. Of his rivals, Visionarian from the Cromwell yard rates the next best, fourth to Envoi Allen in the Champion Chase at Down Royal when last seen but this is a much less taxing test.

A Dream To Share had a superb campaign in 2022/23 winning all five of his bumper starts for trainer John E Kiely, including successes at the Cheltenham Festival (beating the mightily impressive Fact To File) and at the Punchestown Festival before losing his unbeaten record at Leopardstown. Sent hurdling for the first time here (1.20), he remains an exciting prospect and is taken to get the job done on Saturday ahead of another hurdling debutant in Ballygunner Castle from the Mullins yard, a two-time bumper winner including last time out at Tipperary six months ago.

The Grade 3 WillowWarm Hurdle is the feature of the day one card (1.55) and sees eight runners take on the two mile trip, with preference heading the way of Kala Conti for the Elliott team, a winner of a handicap hurdle at Down Royal earlier this month which was a career-best outing having landed three wins from five starts as a juvenile the season before. An English raider in the form of Givemefive, trained by Harry Derham and owned by LIV Golf stars Brooks Koepka and Graeme McDowell, rates the main threat off the back of a fine Grade 2 win at Cheltenham when last seen five weeks ago.

Disco Dancer looks the one to beat in the two and a half mile novice hurdle (2.30) for the Elliott team, a good second last time out at Gowran to a runner that went on to win again, while the penultimate race of the day (3.05) can go the way of Tonaghneave Well, a very good second in a Navan hurdle contest last time out and takes a step up in trip here which should suit.

Finally, the day one card comes to a close with the two-mile bumper contest (3.40) with preference in the finale heading the way Ma Jacks Hill, an expensive €310,000 recruit from the point-to-point sphere that makes his rules debut for a yard that has won the last two renewals of this race for Gordon Elliott.

Fairyhouse selections - Saturday 

11.35 - Impaire Et Passe 

12.12 - Pebble Bleu 

12.45 - American Mike 

1.20 - A Dream To Share 

1.55 - Kala Conti 

2.30 - Disco Dancer 

3.05 - Tonaghneave Well 

3.40 - Ma Jacks Hill