Fairyhouse Sunday 4th April

On day one of Fairyhouse’s Irish Grand National meeting yesterday, we saw a handful of horses who had travelled over to the Cheltenham Festival, and had hard races there, underperform on the track just two weeks later. It is definitely something to be wary of, with the likes of Éclair De Beaufeu, Sneaky Getaway and Folcano running well below par, and even Elimay and Mount Ida (first and third yesterday) were well below the level shown at Cheltenham.

In the case of the two horses that exited the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockey’s Handicap Hurdle at the very first flight, Folcano and Gabynako, there could be reasons for thinking that they will have come out of that accident in differing mental and physical states. Such that I make Gabynako the each-way bet of the day at 5/1 with 888Sport, Paddy Power and Betfair Sportsbook to win the Grade 2 2m4f Colm Quinn BMW Novice Hurdle at 3.50 at Fairyhouse today.

Folcano fell very awkwardly at the first at Cheltenham, having been bumped, and took a nasty looking tumble, in the process slightly impeding and unseating Conor McNamara from Gabynako. It was the following moments that were pretty distinctly different for the two horses – Folcano ran on with the rest of the field and took a horrible looking fall again when loose, whereas Gabynako raced on merrily with the pack and then appeared to divert back to the stables as the field swung out for the final circuit.

With all this in mind, Folcano’s slightly tame effort yesterday could have been predicted, but hopefully the different aftermath for Gabynako will allow him to show his very best in the Colm Quinn BMW Novice Hurdle at 3.50 at Fairyhouse.

Given the week that trainer Gavin Cromwell had at Cheltenham in winning two Grade 1’s with Flooring Porter and Vanillier, the wave of market support for Gabynako to win the closing handicap of the meeting was mighty. He was sent of a strong 9/2 second favourite, and comments from the trainer before the week suggested he felt Gabynako was his best chance of the meeting.

Let’s say events had unfolded differently there and he won, or at least competed with easy winner Galopin Des Champs, then he would be entering this Grade 2 today as undoubtedly the top-rated horse in the field, and wouldn’t be available at 5/1 each-way with 888Sport, Paddy Power and Betfair Sportsbook.

Gabynako’s third to Bob O’Linger and Blue Lord at Naas in January is, quite evidently now, the best piece of form on offer, and he can prove much more suited to 2m4f on decent ground, whereas favourite Gentlemansgame looks exciting, but a real stayer to my eye.