RACING/Punchestown preview: Moscow Flyer's dominance of Punchestown's opening day is such that bookmakers are being forced into betting on the distance the great horse will win the €180,000 Kerrygold Champion Chase by.
Of course such presumption has a nasty habit of crashing down at the final fence, but for any terminal worriers there is the consolation that Moscow Flyer's unbeaten 2004-20005 season has proved once and for all that we will be looking at a truly unique talent this afternoon.
Along the way, the old chestnut about every fourth race resulting in disaster has finally been put firmly to bed, and two genuinely high-class opponents in Well Chief and Azertyuiop were resolutely thrown out of the Champion Chase cot at Cheltenham last month.
As if that wasn't enough, since then Moscow Flyer put in the sort of free-wheeling performance at Liverpool that made a mockery of the old suggestion that he only does just enough, and makes Paddy Power's offer of 5 to 2 about him winning by six or more lengths today seem mighty tempting.
It's certainly more attractive than the likely short odds for winning straight, but any 1 to 4 on offer is understandable considering the horse, the opposition he has routinely routed in the past and his trainer's confidence.
"I'm delighted with him and with a dry day, hopefully, the ground will be drying out for him too," said Jessica Harrington yesterday.
"It would be unbelievable for him to stay unbeaten, but he is in very good form."
Moscow Flyer won the Grade One event last year when facing some cross-sea opposition. But this time he has only home horses to beat and officially the highest-rated chaser in Europe has almost two stone in hand of the next highest rated horse, Rathgar Beau.
The figures say all there is to say.
The other Grade One contest, the Evening Herald Champion Novice Hurdle, is also an all-Irish affair with Wild Passion the clear best of them on his Cheltenham second to Arcalis in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.
That run was no surprise to the Noel Meade camp, and a good break since the festival should set Wild Passion up perfectly for a second top-flight victory of the season.
Publican was well behind at Cheltenham, but if the ground dries out significantly the highly-rated Pat Fahy-trained horse looks the most likely danger.
A muscle injury prevents Like-A-Butterfly from running in the Grade Two Ellier Developments Novice Chase, and her immediate victim in the Powers Gold Cup, Forget The Past, looks like taking full advantage.
Quazar was a welcome winner for the Jonjo O'Neill team when taking a valuable race at Cheltenham from Le Roi Miguel, and he does have winning form on the course. Ducliffe represents the Kingscliff team, but overall Forget The Past's form looks best.
On the 75th anniversary of the Tote, the body sponsor the €75,000 handicap hurdle and Michael Hourigan could have the solution to the puzzle in Kilbeggan Lad. It's been a rough 2005 for Hourigan, but there have been some signs of a return to form recently and Kilbeggan Lad ran a good race at Cork behind Hordago.
The Topham winner Cregg House tops the weights in the two-mile handicap chase, but this is a race where Arthur Moore is a hard trainer to beat.
He won it last year with Junior Fontaine and the year before with Incas, who comes back here again with Timmy Murphy in the saddle and a decent run at Navan behind him.
Davids Lad skipped a chance to run in the Betfred Gold Cup at Sandown last weekend and instead will attempt to give Paul Carberry and Tony Martin a perfect start to the festival in the first chase. The former Irish National winner hasn't hit the scoresheet for some time but a 123 rating gives him a serious chance today.
Nicky Henderson brings the Folkestone winner It's A Dream over for the Goffs Land Rover Bumper, but a strong home team could be led to the line by Virginia Preuil, who was only just beaten by Wild Ocean at Cork.
