Charlie Swan may be about to surrender his jockeys' title this season, but with another Champion Hurdle out of Istabraq, 19 winners in his first term as a trainer and a more than respectable 27 successes in the saddle, it has been another memorable winter for him.
Compared to Cheltenham, Downpatrick provides a more rustic setting for Swan today, but a winner is a winner and Ash Baloo looks just that in the opening mares' novice hurdle.
Ash Baloo has already made her mark by winning the first race of 1999 at Fairyhouse. She was a comfortable winner over Caledonian Bridge in a maiden, and while beaten twice since, her overall form gives her the winning of this.
Swan took her out of the race won by Shean Town at Leopardstown on Sunday, which considering the decent Saxophone was also a non-runner, gives an idea of the company she is able to respectably keep. It's a company that few of the others look capable of keeping.
Swan's former rival in the saddle, Kevin O'Brien, hasn't made as immediate an impact in the training game, but the Curragh based handler looks to have the goods in the following Newcastle Handicap Hurdle, in the shape of Mistress Kate.
An easy winner of the hunters' chase here last year from Cebu Gale, Mistress Kate returned from a break to run the 25 to 1 winner, Star Trix, to three and a half lengths at Navan 11 days ago, after Star Trix appeared to get first run from the front.
The veteran Legatissimo is making a rather late start for a horse running in a beginners' chase, but he has in the past proved his ability when right and his third to Kanockaulin at Down Royal wasn't a bad effort. Legatissimo is preferred to the other veteran Legible and the aforementioned Star Trix. No Discount looks the pick in the bumper.
Nick Dundee is described as "comfortable" after undergoing surgery at Ridgeway Valley Equine Hospital in Lambourn yesterday. The Edward O'Grady-trained chaser was operated on after sustaining a serious injury to his fetlock joint when falling at the third last fence in the Royal & SunAlliance Novices Chase at Cheltenham last Wednesday.
