Fairyhouse – Tuesday 2nd November

It was a case of whatever could go wrong, did go wrong for the selections yesterday – as we had a desperately near miss alongside a fall in our three selections. Sometimes these things can happen and you have to put it down as a day with no such luck and keep the fingers crossed that things will change today. As much as there is some very interesting racing today – betting opportunities look a little bit thin on the ground. Therefore, I will be focusing solely on two races at Fairyhouse this afternoon. 

The first of those is the feature race at 2.15, which is a small but select field of 4 going to the post in a 2m4f conditions hurdle. This looks like an intriguing race and it was good to see Ciel De Neige get his head back infront last time out at Sligo in a similar enough contest. Queen’s Brook also started her season with a decent second at Wexford and should be fitter for that effort. However, with all that taken into account, I think Skyace is the bet in this race, with the Grade 1 winner from last season looking to have a super chance in this race on ratings and at the weights. Skyace is rated the exact same as Ciel De Neige but receives seven pounds from that rival. She does have a few poor runs to bounce back from, when falling at Punchestown before never going a yard in the Galway Hurdle. She has been freshened up since then and the demands of this race look a lot more suited to her needs. At a best price of 16/5 with 888Sport, she should be backed. 

The final race on the card is the 3.45 – which is a 2m4f handicap hurdle and looks an equally hard race to the first division which is half an hour earlier. It will come as no surprise to many to see me dive into this sort of race with two chances. Paul Nolan saddles two horses in this race and both look to have a decent chance on their best form and it may end up being prudent to back both. Saga Aravis looks the most likely option of the two and this horse comes here in decent nick after a good third over 2m2f last time out. He was ridden aggressively that day and ran a sound race in defeat, and should be suited by this slight step up in trip. He has been dropped a further pound for that effort and Gainford has a good relationship with the horse. A price of 4/1 with William Hill seems fair.

The other horse from the Nolan yard is Bright Sunbird – who is not the most reliable mare, but has some talent and should be also suited by these race conditions. After having a small break, she posted a very credible effort at Cork back in August, but has not been able to back those performances up. If returning to her best form in a race of this nature, she could run well. She is still off a mark of 91, which should be attainable to run well off, especially given that Richie Deegan takes valuable weight off her back. However, there are decent each way terms available in this race, and with Paddy Power paying out 5 places, a price of 10/1 seems fair for this mare.