Saint’s alive

IRISH NATIONAL HERO CAN DO IT AGAIN

IT IS a major landmark day at Fairyhouse with some potential superstars set to claim a place at the top of their ante-post markets for the Cheltenham Festival.

Everyone was raising the roof once again when Samcro made his chasing debut at Down Royal, scoring by no less than 17 lengths.

However, those fences quite frankly don’t take an awful lot of jumping.

And here the big horse has to give plenty of weight away in the Drinmore at 1.30, mainly to the four-year-old Fakir D’oudairies, who will receive 8lbs from the Gordon Elliot charge.

However, the big value play here has to be the Irish National hero

Willie Mullins actually thinks that the Cheltenham Gold Cup could be his aim rather than the Aintree Grand National in April.

And even over this sharp two-and-ahalf miles, he looks a huge price at around the 10-1 mark.

Apple’s Jade bids to defend her Hatton’s Grace title at 2.40 but even her trainer Gordon Elliott is slightly worried that she may not be as good as she once was.

Therefore, this could open the door to

The Willie Mullins-trained charge hit the ground running this season when he bashed up the mare in the Lismullen Hurdle last month.

And I see no reason why the placings will be reversed here.

The big handicap chase at 2.05 looks wide open with the likes of the talented, but error-prone Out Sam, Ask Susan and Wrong Direction all with solid claims. However, I strongly think we could well get a surprise outcome on this occasion in the form of the top weight

Once regarded as a possible top-class graded chaser, the selection lost his form for 18 months. But as a result fell down the weights from a high of 152 to 141 here, and he also has a 7lbs claimer on board.

I think he can roll back the years and give the weight away.