RACING WEEKEND PREVIEWS: THERE MAY be three Grade One races and a prize-fund of almost €350,000 for tomorrow's "Winter Festival" but there is no doubting Dunguib's position as the headline act at Fairyhouse this weekend.
Ever since passing the post a hugely impressive winner of last season’s Champion Bumper at Cheltenham, Dunguib has filled the role of “Irish Banker” for the 2010 festival and two starts over jumps this term have if anything only copper-fastened that position.
In fact Philip Fenton’s star has been so good that he is already being quoted as low as 16 to 1 for the Champion Hurdle, if he is ultimately re-routed from the Supreme at Cheltenham.
It’s that sort of billing that has made the six-year-old a white-hot 2 to 5 ante-post favourite for this weekend’s Bar One Racing Royal Bond Hurdle and even though Dunguib faces just five opponents, they look to include most of the best of the rest in Ireland with both Sweeps Hill and Some Present taking up the challenge.
The latter’s trainer Tom Mullins, though, caught the general mood yesterday and said: “Dunguib looks unbeatable but you should never be afraid of one horse.
“Whether or not we beat him is another thing but we will put it up to him.”
However, Dunguib was clearly superior to them all in bumpers and if the favourite doesn’t provide his jockey Brian O’Connell with a memorable introduction to the professional ranks then the reverberations will be seismic.
The last two race winners – Aitmatov (2007) and Catch Me (2008) – line up for another crack at the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle where the sentimental favourite will undoubtedly be the former dual-Champion Hurdle winner Hardy Eustace.
Catch Me reverts back from chasing having taken a final fence tumble on his last start but he boasts a 160 rating in this race that will take some pegging back.
If it is to done, though, it may well be by the Coral Cup hero Ninetieth Minute who has almost a stone to find on figures but who left trainer Tom Taaffe delighted with his comeback effort at Navan in the Lismullen.
That bare form leaves Ninetieth Minute with ground to make up on Aitmatov but in a race with its share of exposed and established stars, the Taaffe runner looks one open to improvement.
Tony McCoy rides Ninetieth Minute and will also be on board Jered who joins his stable companion Pandorama among the 10 scheduled to line up for the Drinmore Chase.
The in-form Edward O’Grady-Andrew McNamara team are represented by the long time ante-post favourite Pesoto who has an edge as a second season novice while Ruby Walsh’s presence on the mud-loving Alpha Ridge will sway many.
Barry Geraghty rode Roberto Goldback into second behind Osana over two miles at Navan last time but now switches to Whatuthink.
Ignoring Roberto Goldback could be costly though as he will love the longer trip and the testing ground tomorrow while it’s significant that Jessica Harrington is going the Grade One route with him instead of looking for a Beginners Chase somewhere.
Tony McCoy teams up with his boss JP McManus in the opening handicap chase and Dante Hall can provide an indirect form boost to Dunguib half an hour later having trailed home that potential superstar at a respectable distance over hurdles at Punchestown.
Lochan Lacha can take advantage of a hurdles mark over a stone lower than his chase rating in the three-mile handicap while Willie Mullins’s latest French import Arvika Ligeonniere can make a winning Irish debut in the bumper.
