Fairyhouse Preview:Today's Fairyhouse feature has a habit of throwing up either winning favourites or screaming results for the bookmakers and it could be worth rowing in with Savitha to get it right for punters this time.
The last two runnings of the Menolly Homes Handicap Hurdle have gone to horses at 20 to 1 and 33 to 1 but a pair of favourites won before that including High Prospect who Paul Nolan produced to land this valuable pot in 2003.
This time the Wexford trainer throws Savitha at the €130,000 third-day festival feature and off a low weight, the mare looks capable of making everything else go, even though the opposition includes Pedrobob who secured a memorable County Hurdle success at Cheltenham.
Tony Mullins's horse only has Callow Lake above him in the weights this time and on the strength of that there will be more than a few fancying their chances this afternoon.
None more so than last year's shock winner Wishwillow Lord who warmed up for a possible repeat with a good win at Limerick recently. He is 4lb higher for that but, with proven course form, Leonard Whitmore's horse will still be a major contender.
Willie Mullins has two with Joueur d'Estruval bidding to improve on last year's fifth and the four-year-old Deutschland trying to overcome his inexperience.
If the youngster's jumping holds up, the ex-Michael Jarvis-trained horse could be one to fear off a low weight but Savitha is more of a proven article and comes here on the back of an impressive return to winning form at Wexford.
In Compliance's defection from the Dan Moore Chase means a 7lb rise in the weights that leaves Central House on top.
The main impact of that, however, may be on the other end of the scale where Noel Meade's Zum See is now only 5lb "wrong", something that may not be enough to stop this strapping horse picking up the €100,000 pot.
Zum See ran a blinding race for a 66 to 1 shot in the Grand Annual at Cheltenham before fading in the closing stages behind Andreas. Noel Meade's horses didn't appear to be at their best at the festival but they've been in decent form so far this week and Zum See could make the topweights go.
The most interesting of them should be the Grade One winner Accordion Etoile who returns to action for the first time since getting the better of In Compliance and Justified at Punchestown almost a year ago. Quick ground will be ideal for him but any rustiness could catch him out with a big weight.
Zum See's jockey Paul Carberry also looks the man to side with in the opening four-year-old hurdle where he teams up with Robin Du Bois for Tony Martin.
The highly regarded de Valira tries to bounce back from his Cheltenham disappointment in the Grade Two novice hurdle where another Paul Nolan star, Cuan Na Grai, returns to action after a lengthy break.
They could both face a major task, however, against Willie Mullins's Glencove Marina who returned from an 11-month absence to make a winning debut over jumps at Thurles last month.
Ruby Walsh's mount was a good bumper performer and crucially was able to win on a decent surface at Punchestown last April.
