The focus of attention this weekend centres on Punchestown, which has seen its two Grade Two races tomorrow cut up quite badly. The equine talent may not be of the highest class but punters can have reason again today to praise the sustained talent of the nine-times champion jockey Charlie Swan.
Barry Geraghty and Paul Carberry look set to scrap it out for the jockeys' title this season but both can count themselves lucky that Swan is no longer focused on the championship.
No longer riding over fences and concentrating even more on his burgeoning training career, Swan has nevertheless continually impressed with the sharpness and the timing of his riding over hurdles and has managed to ride 40 winners this term, placing him joint fourth with Jason Titley.
The man is clearly as good as ever and the prospect of Swan teaming up with Minella Hotel in the opener today makes them look worthy nap material.
Third to Lawz and the subsequently impressive The Glow Worm at Fairyhouse, Minella Hotel looked all over a winner at Gowran last month, only to be run out of it close home by the Swan-ridden Kings Valley.
Swan's presence on the J J Nallen-trained runner today looks significant, especially with Pat Hughes running the Leopardstown third Grinkov in the race, and Minella Hotel should be up to scoring.
Swan could double up on Why Bother in the handicap hurdle but may have to give best in the mares' maiden to Paul Nolan's dual bumper winner One Fine Day.
Fiftysevenchannels is Enda Bolger's representative in the cross country chase over the banks, and considering he has a second to Linden's Lotto over Cheltenham's cross country track to his credit, he will take all the beating. Itstheotherhorse, now in the care of Willie Mullins, looks the one in the bumper.
With the ground officially forecast to be "yielding to soft" on the chase track, Grimes might be worth taking on in the Tied Cottage Novice Chase.
Considering his first fencing effort was a second to Flagship Uberalles at Liverpool last April, Grimes's talent is indisputable but he does like a sound surface, and a better value bet could be Rathbawn Prince, another who likes decent ground, but a horse with a decent run behind Frozen Groom to his credit.
Native Titan had the speed to win a Naas bumper last time, so the trip shouldn't be a concern against Ross Moff and Vanilla Man in the novice hurdle; while Arthur Moore and Conor O'Dwyer could dominate the divisions of the maiden hurdle with The Gatherer and Hot Shots.
The visiting Norman Williamson teams up with West Cork trainer Robert Tyner for the ride on the dourly staying Call Me Dara in the Grand National Trial and they are just preferred in a race where none of the runners are entries in the Aintree National.
