Lossiemouth to take on Teahupoo at Fairyhouse

Sunday's card is highlighted by three Graded races with the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle (1.35) first up before two Grade 1 races on the spin with the Drinmore Novice Chase (2.05) and then the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle (2.40).

Read below to discover the latest tips and a preview of the three graded contests on Fairyhouse’s Sunday card courtesy of Racing TV, who give the best Free Bet Offers throughout the Jumps season.

Royal Bond Novice Hurdle - 1.35pm The first graded race on Sunday arrives with the two-mile and 110 yard Royal Bond Novice Hurdle, a Grade 2 contest at 1.35pm and worth €51,000 to the winner with nine runners set to tackle the trip.

Romeo Coolio, a runner-up in the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival in March, was a very smart winner at Down Royal at odds of 2/13 on hurdles bow 29 days ago for trainer Gordon Elliott and on that form, he is entitled to go even better when he pitches up at Fairyhouse on Sunday and firmly throw his name into the ring for next year’s Supreme at the Festival, where he currently heads the ante-post market.

He can get the better of stablemate Bleu De Vassy here, a promising type for the Elliott team that landed a career-best when scoring in a Navan auction novices’ hurdle just over a fortnight ago, to add to a previous win around this track back in October.

Of course, powerhouse trainer Willie Mullins has a good chance as well and the best of his arguably Belloccio, a smart winner on the Flat in the Copper Horse at Royal Ascot in June but found the step up a bit too soon when a well-beaten last behind Kyprios in the Long Distance Cup at the same track. Now sent over obstacles, he should have plenty more to offer.

Tip: Romeo Coolio Drinmore Novice Chase - 2.05pm 

A small but select field of six will head to the start for the Grade 1 Drinmore, again worth €51,000 to the winner and this race was won last year by I Am Maximus, who subsequently went on to land Grand National glory at Aintree for Willie Mullins.

Mullins doesn’t have a runner in this year’s edition, once again held over the two and a half mile trip around Fairyhouse, as Elliott and rival Henry De Bromhead saddle all six runners between them.

Elliott has the standout of the field with Firefox, a smart winner over hurdles at this track when seeing off Ballyburn in a maiden hurdle last December, and was most impressive when landing a six runner novice chase at Down Royal on debut over fences 30 days ago so looks the one to beat here.

Firefox can get the better of the De Bromhead-trained Heart Wood on Sunday, who didn’t need to be near his best when scoring in a Listed chase at Wexford 34 days ago and has the best form over fences in this field. Stablemate Gorgeous Tom can round out the top three, with three wins from five starts this season including a Grade 3 at Cork 28 days ago.

Tip: Firefox Hatton’s Grace Hurdle - 2.40 A disappointing field of just four will tackle the two and half mile Grade 1 Hatton’s Grace Hurdle, where Teahupoo will bid for a third straight win in this race for trainer Elliott and should be a warm order in the betting to do so.

Teahupoo, a winner of the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in March and who downed the imperious mare Honeysuckle in the 2022 edition of this contest, didn’t need to be at the top level when last seen at Punchestown when scoring in the Grade 1 Stayers Hurdle and rates narrowly as the best chance of landing the €72,000 top prize here - but he won’t have it all his own way.

Willie Mullins is finally unleashing his star mare, Lossiemouth, this season having been forced to miss the Morgiana Hurdle through an injury a couple of weeks ago. Lossiemouth brings some stunning form figures to the table, winning both the International and the Mares’ Hurdle last season at Cheltenham, the latter coming at the Festival, and following up by winning the Mares Champion Hurdle at Punchestown. Intriguingly, Lossiemouth receives 7lb in weight owing to the Mares allowance from Teahupoo here so while the field is small, it’s a seriously top-class affair that can go either way.

Tip: Teahupoo