Beef Or Salmon may be the main dish at Down Royal's most important date of the year tomorrow but the reappearance of the Cheltenham winners, Brave Inca and Total Enjoyment, takes today's racing far away from being just a simple starter.
Total Enjoyment has a first jumping outing in the Scarvagh House Mares Novice Hurdle and Ruby Walsh takes the mount after Jim Culloty's hand injury during the week which rules the Killarney-born rider out of action until nearly Christmas.
It was a unique Kerry occasion when Culloty and the mare powered up the hill to win the Festival Bumper at Cheltenham 233 days ago and such scenes should be transplanted to the northern track this afternoon.
Trainer Tom Cooper reports that Total Enjoyment will come on for the race which is only to be expected but more importantly that her schooling sessions have been very satisfactory.
Of the opposition, Paul Carberry brings out the best in The Screamer but she presents a 111 standard that the current 12 to 1 favourite with Ladbrokes for the Supreme Novices should exceed with little bother.
Brave Inca, as low as 12 to 1 with some firms for the Smurfit Champion Hurdle, faces a much stiffer task in the Anglo Irish Bank Hurdle. Last season's Supreme winner has to concede 10lb to the Swinton victor Macs Joy who has the benefit of a recent run on the flat behind Back In Front at Navan.
"He will need the outing in a bad way, he will really need a couple of runs to be fit. Obviously, I hope he will run well, but anything he does tomorrow will be a bonus and it will be hard to face Macs Joy giving him 10lb," said Brave Inca's trainer, Colm Murphy yesterday.
On official ratings Macs Joy theoretically has 5lb in hand which, thrown in with Murphy's warning, makes a pretty convincing argument for the Jessica Harrington-trained horse.
In most other Friday fixtures a first start over fences for Mariah Rollins would take centre billing but the mare was near the top of the novice hurdle tree last season and a translation of that kind of form should see her home in front. Racing concludes with a hot looking bumper where the Steve Mahon-trained Dawadari ca successfully bid for a third course and distance success in a row.
