Looking Ahead

We had yet another winner on Sunday , at Dungarvan Point to Point when Toby Ben won the 2nd division of the 5 year olds gelding maiden. We also had a good run on the track with Rockers Field finishing a good 2nd and Gentle Jim finished 3rd both in Limerick. Vardas Partner ran a great race in Leopardstown having led throughout the race to finish 4th behind Rite of Passage in what turned out to be a fantastic race. Rite of Passage is now favorite for the 2mile Supreme Novices in Cheltenham.

We have 2 runners in Navan tomorrow Loch Mor Lad runs at 3.15 in Navan and although we hope he runs into the placings he is carrying top weight and may struggle with this weight on the heavy ground. Finnbennach runs at 2.45 and was unlucky when unseating his jockey in Thurlus on his previous run, we hope he jumps around safely. 

We have a good line up of entries for Thurlus on Thursday as well as entries in all the weekend meetings. Tally Em Up will run in the Grade 2 Mare's steeplechase and hopefully she will be in with a good chance after her win there only a week ago. Check back again after declarations tomorrow for the line up in Thurlus.

The Weekend Ahead

Hopefully we have a good line up of runners for the weekend which kicks off in Leapardstown on Saturday. Paco Jack runs in the Pertempts Handicap Hurdle Qualifier at 2.40.  This is our second run with this horse and although his run the last day was far from promising, we are very optimistic that he will improve dramatically on his last performance.

Sir Loujay runs in the Bumper at 3.40 also in Leopardstown. We like this horse very much and are looking forward to his run, although the ground may not be to his liking - one to watch on better ground.

Vardas Partner runs in Leopardstown on Sunday at 1pm. This will be his first run over hurdles; we like this horse and hope he puts in a big run for all concerned. Right of passage would be the worry in this race having plenty of Hurdle experience.

Goidelic also runs in Leopardstown on Sunday in the Handicap Hurdle at 3.50pm. This looks like a competitive Hurdle, and with the ground coming up as heavy I think weight will play a big part in the winning of this race. Our horse will travel on the more demanding ground conditions however as this is his first time to travel over a distance of 2 miles 6 furlongs we are not sure if  he will see out this trip. I think Colbert Station and Monaco Springs will feature heavily in the closing stages. Hopefully however with Denis O Regan in the saddle for us in Leopardstown on Sunday we will have continued good fortune

What A Week

What a great week it has been here at Fairwood Stables everyone is certainly in great spirits after what was a very grey couple of weeks surrounded by ice and snow. Everyone really worked hard to keep the horses exercised whether it was rotovating the gallop hourly through the night or bucketing water to horses all around the farm it certainly was a trying time for all concerned. Thankfully, all that has subsided, and now all we are left with is bad roads and lots of winners.

Ard Agus Fada rallied all the way to the line yesterday to give us our fifth winner of the week. He was none the worse after his fall in Punchestown on Wednesday and so the to go ahead and run in the Handicap Chase in Gowran Park. This saw Declan Bates produce a well-timed charge on the run in to win by a neck. Our Congratulation goes to Ivan Freeley, owner of Ard Agus Fada and all the Staff for their hard work over the Christmas period.

 

Smiles All Round

There certainly is smiles all round this week and Current Resession most definitely added to this with his impressive win in the Pro/Am Flat race in Naas today ridden by Declan Bates. Winning by an impressive 10L Current Resession gave Joan Lambert her first sucess on the track but not  forgetting  Got the Urge also owned by Joan, ran a great race to finish 3rd in the Handicap Steeplechase. A very big congratulation to Joan, by the way this horse won today it will not be the last you will hear of this pair.

We have two runners tomorrow in Punchestown. Mylerstown runs in the maiden hurdle at 3.45 and Ard agus Fada runs in a handicap Steeplechase at 1.25. Ard agus Fada gets a stone and a half off the fancy in the race, which should see him right up there in the closing stages.