Sweet On De Bromhead’s Honey At Fairyhouse

The BoyleSports Irish Grand National meeting gets underway on Sunday with a couple of Grade 1 races down for decision and punters at the Meath track will get to see a mare that could go all the way to the top.

Sweet On Honey In The Mares Novice
The Grade 1 Mares Novice Hurdle Championship Final has attracted a field of 17 runners and among them is the Willie Mullins-trained Eglantine Du Seuil who won the Cheltenham equivalent.

Mullins’ 50/1 shot from Cheltenham proved to be Noel Fehily’s final Cheltenham Festival winner before retirement and she is now the choice of Ruby Walsh for tomorrow. However, Henry de Bromhead looks to have a potential star on his hands here with Honeysuckle.

The 140-rated mare was unfortunately ruled out of the Cheltenham Festival last month but she gets her chance to compete at Grade 1 level here over her preferred distance of 2m4f and she can maintain her unbeaten record here.

A winner of a Point to Point, Honeysuckle was bought for €110,000 and has ticked every box since going onto the track.

First up in a maiden hurdle last November, Honeysuckle made a winning start for her new connections to record a 12-length success over this course and distance. A winner again at Thurles over 2m before landing a Grade 3 back at Fairyhouse over 2m2f has shown Honeysuckle to be versatile on varying ground and over different distances.

We’ve been fortunate to have seen some very good mares in Ireland in recent years but…

Honeysuckle could be right up there with them and her price of almost 7/4 looks quite appealing.

Taaffe Brewing Up A Storm In BoyleSports Novice Chase
Nine novices will go to post for the BoyleSports Novice Handicap Chase and Riders Onthe Storm can gain compensation for his fall at the Cheltenham Festival last month.

The six-year-old was third in Limerick’s Grade 1 novice chase at Christmas before winning at Punchestown to book his ticket to the Cheltenham Festival.

The son of Scorpion was well fancied in the Close Brothers Novices’ Chase but he exited the race at the sixth fence and in truth, there would have been no beating A Plus Tard that day who bolted up by 16 lengths.

Riders Onthe Storm had today’s rival Impact Factor just over a length behind at Punchestown on that penultimate start and although he has to concede a 5lbs swing at the weights from that narrow victory, the nicer ground should be a big plus for Riders Onthe Storm.

It’s a tricky looking race with Impact Factor warranting respect and Kildorrery always threatening to be competitive in a race like this. Liam Cusack could be in for a big weekend and his Snugsborough Hall looks to have a lovely racing weight as he seeks a hat-trick but…

Riders Onthe Storm can prove to be on the right side of the handicapper off 139.

Recommended Bets:
Honeysuckle (7/4) – 2.50 Fairyhouse
Riders Onthe Storm – 3.50 Fairyhouse

*Prices correct at time of publication.