If most eyes are on the Breeders Cup in Del Mar, the domestic weekend action underlines a changing of the seasons with Sunday’s finale to the flat coming 24 hours after National Hunt racing’s first Grade One of the winter campaign at Down Royal.
Gordon Elliott is seeking a sixth success in a dozen years in the €150,000 Ladbrokes Champion Chase, although he might like the chance to swap ground conditions in the North for the Curragh’s soft terrain.
Watering is continuing at Down Royal which may not be ideal for Elliott’s No 1 big-race hope Gerri Colombe, who secured a memorable and hard-fought success over Envoi Allen in last year’s renewal.
Gerri Colombe’s best form, including when runner-up to Galopin Des Champs in last season’s Cheltenham Gold Cup, has come on a much easier surface than this, which will have the Envoi Allen camp hoping he can repeat his own 2022 victory.
Willie Mullins set to take wraps off some of his biggest stars at Punchestown
Fact To File could head formidable JP McManus team into John Durkan test
Top amateur Derek O’Connor to team up with Fastorslow for John Durkan Chase at Punchestown
Stuzzikini puts seal on Gordon Elliott dominance with 20-1 Troytown success
Ground conditions, though, helped prompt connections of Hewick to cough up a €15,000 supplementary fee to get the hugely popular Shark Hanlon-trained horse into the race.
A rattling surface has never been a problem to the diminutive star, who has a race already this season under his belt and can supply Hanlon with a morale boost ahead of starting a six-month licence suspension next month.
This meeting is invariably a happy hunting ground for Elliott’s team, although his Found A Fifty might face a tough task in the Grade Two chase, conceding a hefty amount of weight to the Galway Plate winner Pinkerton.
Thanks to the Curragh’s on-course bookmakers there is complimentary entry to HQ on Sunday for the conclusion to the 2024 flat season on turf.
Champion trainer
Aidan O’Brien will be officially crowned champion trainer for a 26th time in a row – and a 27th time in all – after accumulating over €6.5 million in prize money. He is also champion in Britain this year.
Colin Keane (103 winners) will get back from the Breeders Cup in time to receive his sixth jockey’s title, although the apprentice crown could go down to the wire. Before Friday evening’s Dundalk action, James Ryan led on 33 winners, two ahead of both Wayne Hassett and Adam Caffrey. Ryan has four rides on Sunday, one fewer than Caffrey, while Hassett is on seven horses.
None of them are involved in Sunday’s feature, the Group Three Comer Group Loughbrown Stakes, which sees another of the season’s star riders, Dylan Browne McMonagle, onboard Dawn Rising for Joseph O’Brien.
There are a pair of Ballydoyle three-year-old fillies on the hunt for valuable black-type success, although the two-mile trip on easy conditions looks a perfect proposition for Dermot Weld’s Harbour Wind.
The highest-rated horse on view will be the cross-channel stalwart Hamish, who travels for his favourite soft-ground conditions in the Listed Finale Stakes.
Richard Kingscote has just a third ride on the William Haggas runner. The first was when runner-up to Kyprios in the Irish Leger two years ago and the Englishman won on the 117-rated veteran in last season’s St Simon Stakes. Hamish must concede weight, but a fine second to Goliath in France last time testifies to his quality.
Jessica Harrington fills third spot in the trainer’s championship – behind Aidan and Joseph O’Brien - with almost €2 million in prizemoney. She can also look forward to next year’s classics with leading two year olds Hotazhell and Green Impact.
She could be the one to score in the very last contest, a 12-furlong maiden, with her smart jumping mare Jetara. The ex-Godolphin Tribal Star might prove the danger.
