The mare was successful in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase for Denise Foster and Jack Kennedy. This weekend she will face just four rivals. However, the Willie Mullins-trained Elimay may prove to be a big threat as she goes in search of another win.

Dual Fairyhouse winner Demi Plie lines up for Pádraig Roche. Cheltenham Festival’s leading trainer this year, Henry de Bromhead, will be represented by Abbey Magic and Zarkareva.

Big fields in handicap hurdles

A full field of 20 is set for the RYBO Handicap Hurdle. The Robbie Burns-trained Thosedaysaregone will carry top-weight in the contest. County Hurdle fourth Eclair De Beaufeu is one of four runners in the race for Denise Foster. Foveros and Rauille Buaille are among from Willie Mullins’ yard. The Henry de Bromhead-trained Hurricane Cliff and Gua Du Large are among the field.

The Timmy Hyde-trained On Eagles Wings leads the 20 runners in the INH Stallion Owners EBF Novice Handicap Hurdle Series Final.  He won the Grade 3 Bar One Racing Kingsfurze Novice Hurdle at Naas on his most recent start. He will face the Robert Murphy-trained Darrens Hope, a winner at Limerick three weeks ago. Folcano, a course winner in February, is one of three runners for Denise Foster.

Party Central represents Foster in the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Total Enjoyment Mares Flat Race for which 11 horses have been declared. Recent winners Derrylinda and Limerick Lace carry the hopes of Gavin Cromwell. Interestingly, Willie Mullins has Brooklynn Glory entered in the race, a horse that is closely linked in form with Party Central.

The three-day Easter Festival begins with the Boomerang.ie Maiden Hurdle where Noel Meade’s Mare Quimby will be among the leading fancies. Jury Duty and course winner Stand Up And Fight head the runners in the Frank & Teresa O’Reilly Memorial Hunters Chase. Leopardstown winner Super Citizen has his chance in the McCauley Pharmacy Ladies National Handicap Chase for Eugene and Maxine O’Sullivan. Dual bumper winners Flame Bearer and Letsbeclearaboutit, trained by Pat Doyle and Gavin Cromwell respectively, are among the contenders for the Jetaway.ie At Arctic Tack Stud INH Flat Race.

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The Michael Winters-trained Chatham Street Lad, winner of the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup Handicap Chase at Cheltenham a month ago, heads the entries. The Emmet Mullins’ Unibet Greatwood Handicap Hurdle winner The Shunter is also aiming for the race.

Joseph O’Brien has Front View, successful in a beginners’ chase at Fairyhouse last month, among the current field. The Jessica Harrington-trained Impact Factor is also among the entries and will be bidding for a third Fairyhouse win.

Gordon Elliott has six horses still in the race, including Chosen Mate, winner of the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Willie Mullins has both Fan Des Blues and Pont Aven.

Quilixios among 17 entries in Hurdle

Saturday’s card will also feature the ITM Virtual Stallion Trail Hurdle for which Gordon Elliott has entered Quilixios. He was an impressive winner at both Punchestown and Down Royal and heads a list of 17 entries.

Peter Roe, General Manager of Fairyhouse Racecourse, said:

“We are delighted to have another very exciting Dan & Joan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase on a great day’s racing at Fairyhouse on Saturday. Impact Factor was an impressive course and distance winner in the Easyfix Handicap Chase in November. Chatham Street Lad will be bidding to follow up on his Cheltenham win for the popular Cork trainer Mick Winters.”

The going is currently heavy at Fairyhouse.

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Drinmore Novice Chase

The unbeaten Cheveley Park Stud-owned Envoi Allen stands out among the seven horses remaining in the Grade 1 BARONERACING.COM Drinmore Novice Chase. This is a race his trainer Gordon Elliott has already won on five occasions. Owners Gigginstown House Stud may provide the stiffest opposition with four contenders, Embittered, Easywork, Assemble and Coko Beach. The JP McManus-owned Andy Dufresne and Seán O’Driscoll’s hat-trick seeker Home By The Lee also stand their ground.

Hattons Grace Hurdle

Honeysuckle makes her eagerly awaited return to action in the Grade 1 BARONERACING.COM Hatton’s Grace Hurdle. She won the race last year before success in the Irish Champion Hurdle and at the Cheltenham Festival.

A five-time winner at Fairyhouse, she heads the nine remaining entries in the race. Gordon Elliott’s Fury Road, the Willie Mullins-trained Saldier, Noel Meade’s Beacon Edge and the Matthew Smith-trained Ronald Pump among the opposition.

Royal Bond Novice Hurdle

A cracking renewal of the Grade 1 BARONERACING.COM Royal Bond Novice Hurdle is on the cards. Gordon Elliott’s Down Royal winner Ballyadam looks set to clash with Willie Mullins’ Cheltenham Festival scorer Concertista and N’golo. Cask Mate is set to take his chance for Noel Meade while the Ted Walsh-trained Dewcup, and Henry de Bromhead’s Annexation, are also among the 11 entries.

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The opening part of Foley’s brace came when Protagonist (1/1f) claimed his second success in six days as the Michael Buckley-owned Jessica Harrington-trained French-bred took the Download the BoyleSports App Handicap.

Foley later teamed up with Charles O’Brien to take the Follow Fairyhouse On Social Media Handicap (Div II) with Rain Or Shine (8/1). The son of Zoffany came from last to first on the outside of the field to deny Pulsating (13/2) by half a length.

Today’s double for Shane Foley means the Kilkenny rider has won 19 races from 18 fixtures since the resumption of the sport earlier this month. He is now 3 wins ahead of Colin Keane in the jockeys’ title race.

Apprentice Gavin Ryan also rode a brace of winners at the Co. Meath track with both Reverberation (11/1) and Baby Power (5/2f) visiting the winners’ enclosure.

The Tipperary jockey and Reverberation won the Follow Fairyhouse On Social Media Handicap (Div I) with the James Lambe-trained five-year-old gelding achieving a four-length victory, despite having his first outing since Dundalk last March.

Ryan rode the favourite, Baby Power (5/2), in the Thanks To All Our Frontline Workers Handicap over 6 furlongs. When Ryan’s mount hit the front, the filly had to respond tenaciously to Powersville, winning by half a length for Garry Caldwell and his owner-breeder father Bernard.

Jim Bolger, who provided Gavin Ryan with his first winner in the form of Locus Standi at Dundalk in March 2017, was among the winners himself this afternoon as Bolger’s son-in-law Kevin Manning steered Slaney East (7/2) to a battling success in the 1m 2f Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden, taking a half-length victory.

Another in-form rider, Billy Lee, partnered Paddy Twomey’s Pontchateau (9/1) in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden for three-year-old colts and geldings over 10 furlongs.

Rachael Blackmore, who will ride in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby on Saturday, won the first division of the Meath Handicap, as the 3/1f Oromo took the honours for trainer Karl Thornton by a length and a quarter.

Former Galway Plate-winning jockey Kevin Coleman recorded his first winner on native soil as a trainer when Red Vermillon (22/1), under Seán Davis, took the last race of the day, the Meath Handicap (Div II).

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The victory was a first winner of the season for his trainer Garvan Donnelly but it was amazingly the 13^th racecourse on which the nine-year-old Plough Boy has won.

Ger Lyons brilliant form continued when training a double at the Co. Meath venue. Luminesce (6/4f) had a length and a half in hand on Mahaaseel under Colin Keane in the Irish Stallion Farm EBF Fillies Maiden, while it was the yard’s second string, Shalaalaa (Gary Carroll) (11/4) that won the colts’ and geldings’ equivalent.

Séamie Heffernan won the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden for three-year-olds on Memorabilis (11/4), with the Aidan O’Brien-trained Galileo colt staying on well for a comfortable success.

Wayne Lordan took the route up the rail on Thomond O’Mara’s Amazing One (14/1) in Division 1 of the Sobac Soil.ie Thank You Customers Handicap before the rider made the decisive move when pacesetter Eacharn edged off the rail, allowing the filly Amazing One claim a three-parts of a length victory.

Trainer Dot Love combined with Mikey Sheehy to take the second division with The Mpex Kid (10/1), while The Thanks To All Our Frontline Workers Handicap was won by 12/1 shot Romantically for the Billy Lee/Willie McCreery combination.

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Fairyhouse

Johnny Murtagh and Gary Halpin won the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden for three-year-old colts and geldings with Koolasice (13/8f) as the son of Kodiac had seven and a half lengths to spare over Ecclesiastical. The trainer went on to complete a double when Pearl Warrior (10/1) took the Ratoath Handicap with Shane Kelly in the plate.

Trainer Tom McCourt had his third win since the resumption of racing courtesy of De Mazarro in the first division of the Meath Handicap under Niall McCullagh. Top National Hunt jockey Rachael Blackmore claimed the second division of the race on Oromo (28/1) for Karl Thornton.

Joseph O’Brien and Declan McDonogh teamed up for the opening Irish EBF Median Sires Maiden with State Of Rest (6/1), while Colin Keane’s hot spell continued as he rode a winner for Noel Meade in Powerful Ted.

Acquiescent (9/2) was a winner for John Murphy and Killian Leonard in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF (Fillies) Maiden over 6 furlongs, while Mogwli (4/1) came home in front for Willie McCreery and Nathan Crosse in the Fairyhouse Handicap.

Roscommon

The Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas-winning trainer Ger Lyons was on the score sheet again as Indicative Vote (4/1) made every yard a winning one in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction for colts and geldings under jockey Gary Carroll.

Carroll notched up a double when the Gavin Cromwell-trained Tashman (11/1) took the Ivan Connaughton Auctioneers No Sale No Fee Handicap (Division 1). Shane Foley had his 11^th winner in eight days when winning the second division of the race, with Ger O’Leary’s Will Be King (14/1) providing him with another visit to the No. 1 spot.

Paddy Twomey, who had a winner at Leopardstown yesterday, had another this evening as odds-on favourite Strongbowe (5/6f), bought at the Craven Breeze-Up Sale in 2018, took the Roscommon Maiden in the hands of Billy Lee, another rider who is enjoying plenty winners at the moment.

Lee claimed at double at the Connacht track when getting handicap debutant Alexei Vronsky (3/1f) up by a nose in the Global Rossie Day On 21^st June Handicap for Michael O’Callaghan.

Ronan Whelan delivered the Michael Halford-trained Slieve Bearnagh (8/1) late to edge out Golden Days by a neck in the www.roscommonracecourse.ie Handicap, while Dermot Weld saddled Zenya (7/1) to win the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden for three-year-old fillies under Oisín Orr.

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