Fairyhouse preview: Pacific Alliance survived a massive ballot on the Culmullin Handicap Hurdle at Fairyhouse this afternoon and thus the eight-year-old, who changed stables this season, will be able to participate in what will be only his third start in the space of two years.
For Michael Butler he won over this distance at Wexford in October 2003 beating Still Going On and then was aimed at Fairyhouse.
The hurdle was the very same handicap in which he finds himself today and on that occasion he put up a good fight off a 6lb higher mark than at Wexford to run Arthur Moore's gambled on favourite Jirlan to a length. Not only was that a much more competitive handicap than today's affair but whereas only 16 have been allowed to run, there were 22 starters in 2003.
Given that Fairyhouse originated as the Ward Union Hunt Races what makes this particular programme unique has to be the absence of any steeplechase even though it is an all National Hunt card.
The afternoon opens with a divided four-year-old hurdle and in the first leg flat form suggests that Ruby Walsh's mount Lord Gunnerslake could have too much speed for the handicap hurdle placed Academy Brief. Lord Gunnerslake when trained by Teresa Oakes made his debut on the flat at Wexford and finished third to Zimbabwe who himself finished up his three-year-old career by winning the Irish Cesarewitch.
Lord Gunnerslake ran his best race over hurdles for Ted Walsh to date at Thurles last Thursday when a stewards' inquiry was called after he had been beaten half a length by One More Minute. It must have been a close decision as the winner failed to keep a straight course.
In the second division Dolphin Bay can make a winning first start over hurdles for trainer James Burns.
Be With Me Now, a bumpers' race newcomer by Kings Theatre, represents a double "J.P." partnership that may in turn foreshadow many such victories in the years ahead. This brother to the hurdles winner Tumbling Dice is owned by J P McManus and will be ridden by J P Magnier.
In the other bumper The Spoonplayer has a good course effort under his belt having run up to Arteea in the Goffs Land Rover bumper, a sales associated race of considerable value that was run in April.
Two erstwhile stable companions Raikkonen and Mrs Wallensky could fight out the finish to the Clover Hill Hurdle. Willie Mullins still trains Raikkonen who had luck on his side when winning at Naas and might therefore be foiled by the now Paul Nolan handled Mrs Wallensky.
Kieren Fallon could gain the consolation of riding 200 winners this year despite relinquishing his British jockeys' title to Frankie Dettori.
The six-times champion has delayed taking a break in order to ride Michael Stoute's last runners of 2004 on the all-weather. Fallon, who is just three winners short of recording his fifth double-century, has a full book of six rides at Wolverhampton tomorrow. And he may return to Dunstall Park for Saturday's marathon 10-race card.
Fallon finished 15 winners behind Dettori (192-177) during the turf season that ended at Doncaster last Saturday and as a result lost the jockeys' championship race, but he has ridden four more than the Italian (197-193) in the full calendar year.
Fallon's double-centuries were recorded in 1997, 1998, 1999 and in 2003, when he rode a personal best of 221 winners.
