Fairyhouse's triple-Grade One 'Winter Festival' card is the biggest fixture of the Irish jumps campaign so far but track officials already have an eye on later this season after an official warning about the failure of one of this Sunday's features, the Bar One Royal Bond Novice Hurdle, to meet top-flight rating parameters in 2014.
All Grade One races have to achieve an average ratings standard judged on the four top rated horses that line up in them. Those ratings are judged on end of season Anglo-Irish classification figures.
Despite the Royal Bond having been won by the subsequently prolific Grade One winner Nichols Canyon last year, the overall average rating of the top four rated horses that ran in the race failed to reach the 140 median handicap mark required for Grade One novice hurdles.
“The winner apart it was a disappointing race ratings-wise, reaching an average of 138, even though Nicholls Canyon wound up rated 155,” explained Ireland’s senior National Hunt handicapper, Noel O’Brien.
“Grade One races for senior horses have to average 155 and novice chases have been changed recently to 145. If a race fails to reach its Grade One mark on one year, a track is informed. If it fails a second year it is written to again, and if it fails a third year then its grading comes up for review by the Pattern Committee,” he added.
Although a race has to fail to make the grade three years in a row for its grading to be examined, the Fairyhouse authorities are keeping their fingers crossed this season’s Royal Bond turns out to be up to scratch, such as in 2012 when the future Champion Hurdle winner Jezki emerged on top.
“It’s on a warning so hopefully later in the season we will be able to look back and say this year’s race was a good one,” confirmed the Fairyhouse manager Peter Roe.
“It’s very hard to know with these novice races especially. Last year everyone was talking about Allez Colombieres when he ran in the Royal Bond and he only jumped two (pulled up injured.) But then Nicholls Canyon went and won and he has done very well since.
“All we can do is try to attract the best possible entries we can and encourage trainers to run in these races. We’re all in it together.
“The Hattons Grace is OK and the Drinmore has probably been the most consistent race almost every year. A couple of years ago, when Don Cossack beat Carlingford Lough and Road To Riches might have been the best novice chase ever run.
“But sometimes things don’t work out in a race. Last year Annie Power was declared for the Hattons Grace and went wrong after declaration so couldn’t run. She can’t run in it this year either. So you have to be lucky too,” Roe added.
Part of the problem can be the sort of numerically small fields that have become an issue in some of Ireland’s Grade One contests in recent years, a factor that could arise again this weekend for the Royal Bond in particular.
A total of eight entries remain in the race after the five-day forfeit stage and half of them are trained by Willie Mullins. The champion trainer's quartet includes Bachasson and Long Dog, both four-time scorers over flights.
Of the nine entries left in the Drinmore, five are owned by Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown Stud, which is chasing a fourth win in five years in the race, while of the ten remaining in the Hatton’s Grace, Arctic Fire is a ratings stand-out on a mark of 169, 17lbs clear of his nearest officially rated rival, Monksland.
However Arctic Fire has an alternative Grade One entry this weekend in Saturday’s Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle.
One headache the Fairyhouse team are unlikely to have to cope with this weekend though is any repeat of the weather problems which in the past have plagued the 'Winter Festival. '
“We have no concerns this time thankfully. Saturday could be wet but Sunday looks better at this stage. The track hasn’t been used this jumps season so we have fresh ground and we’re in a good position,” Peter Roe said.
Ground conditions at Fairyhouse are currently “yielding to soft” ahead of the festival which begins on Saturday.
