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Punchestown 2024
Punchestown 2024
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- Preview fairyhouse 2nd Apr
Preview fairyhouse 2nd Apr
Solstice Knight, left, comes to tackle Sea Master at Fairyhouse
© Photo Healy Racing
Fairyhouse's three-day Easter Festival draws to a close on Tuesday, with the highlight the Normans Grove Chase.
The Grade Two contest has been moved from its usual January slot in the calendar and sees Days Hotel attempting to register his fourth success at this level.
Henry de Bromhead's eight-year-old put a lacklustre Thurles performance behind him when dropped back to two miles at Naas in February and should be able to successfully concede 6lb to Bob Lingo and Foildubh.
There are Grade Three honours up for grabs in the opening Weatherbys Ireland GSB Hurdle (3.35), and Dogora attempts to confirm his Gowran Park superiority over Dalasiri.
He has since lost his unbeaten NH record at this venue but Ruby Walsh is back on board, with Paul Townend switching to his stable companion Djakadam, who hasn't looked back since getting rid of Walsh on his Irish debut.
The John & Chich Fowler Memorial EBF Mares Chase also carries Grade Three status and Blazing Tempo, who landed last year's Norman Grove, reverts to her own sex after trailing in a well-beaten third behind Sizing Europe in the Tied Cottage.
An interesting opponent is Nicky Henderson's raider Nadiya De La Vega, who pulled up at the Cheltenham Festival but made the frame in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Prestbury Park earlier in the season.
Her owner JP McManus swooped for Waxies Dargle following his Limerick win and he makes his first appearance for Noel Meade in the Tattersalls Ireland George Mernagh Memorial Sales Bumper.
There's a decent pot on offer in the www.thetote.com Handicap Hurdle, in which Shadow Catcher reappears less than three weeks after finishing fourth in the County Hurdle.
His stablemate Shattered Dream has a last-start success to his name and goes to post for the Fairyhouse Committee Handicap Chase, while leading hunter chaser Tammys Hill is the star name in the FleetConnect Joseph R. O'Reilly Memorial Hunters Chase.