LEOPARDSTOWN PREVIEW DURKAN NOVICE CHASE AND REST OF CARD: THERE MIGHT not be a reserved enclusure at this year's Leopardstown Christmas festival but Tatenen can still provide a certain exclusivity by landing the St Stephen's Day feature.
A total of nine horses line up for the €120,000 Durkan New Homes Novice Chase including some of the cream of Ireland's novice talent right now.
Among them is Forpadydeplasterer, Cooldine and Made In Taipan. But, with a crowd of up to 18,000 expected through Leopardstown's gates in an attempt to blow off some Christmas cobwebs, Tatenen still looks the one to generate a little profit for them.
No British-trained horse has won this Grade One prize but a feature of this year's festival will be the appearance of several Paul Nicholls-trained stars.
Natal will line up in Saturday's Dial-A-Bet Chase and Osako D'Airy will take his chance in the Paddy Power Chase. Most significant of all, Neptune Collonges is set to run for the British champion trainer in Sunday's Lexus.
However, there will be no more anticipation over his appearance than there will be about Tatenen's which only shows the impression the four-year-old has made in two chase starts this season.
The former French star opened up with an 11-length success at Aintree, after which Nicholls revealed he had already made a rare foray into the ante-post market for the Arkle at Cheltenham.
Tatenen was even more impressive next time up at Cheltenham when handing out a 24-length rout to Straw Bear.
The latter has looked anything but a natural chaser in several starts this season but Tatenen could hardly have done it any easier.
He is already as low as 5 to 2 favourite for the Arkle in March and, in the circumstances, the 11 lbs age concession he gets on Friday looks very generous.
It will certainly have concentrated the minds of the home team although a couple of horses that could have been expected to go up in trip are instead dropped back to this extended two miles.
Cooldine in particular has always looked a horse to appreciate a trip even though he was impressive on his chasing debut at Thurles over two and a quarter. He carries the Florida Pearl colours of Archie O'Leary but this race is a major step up from Thurles.
Forpadydeplasterer already boasts Grade One form having finished runner-up to Trafford Lad in the Drinmore at Fairyhouse. There didn't appear to be too many excuses for that defeat although trainer Tom Cooper felt the horse might have been better served ridden with more patience.
Forpadydeplasterer's connections always provide an element of colour on these big days but it could be that it is Made In Taipan who gives the British raider most to do.
The Tom Mullins-trained horse is not the most straight-forward of rides and has shown a distinct preference for racing left handed in the past.
That isn't an issue on Friday and nor was it at Navan and Naas where he won both of his chase starts to date in impressive style.
Made In Taipan can be expected to race prominently, as will Pesoto who made most of the running at Punchestown recently only to be agonisingly overhauled in the dying strides by Joncol.
Nevertheless it is hard to believe any kind of pace will find out Tatenen who has looked hugely impressive to date and whose weight for age allowance will be a huge plus.
Jockey Sam Thomas is due back in Ireland to ride him just a couple of weeks after a vital morale-booster on Noland in the John Durkan Memorial and Nicholl's number two jockey can direct the cross-channel raider into the number one spot.
