Aldrewood is weighted to land the Grade 3 Star Best For Racing Coverage Chase in Punchestown.

John Hanlon believes Usuel Smurfer has plenty going for him in the Guinness Kerry National at Listowel today.

Owner Barry Connell has confirmed Mount Benbulben will be supplemented for the Ladbrokes World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Barry Geraghty has spoken of his disappointment at missing out on the chance to land back-to-back BetVictor Queen Mother Champion Chases with Sprinter Sacre.

Gary Moore's Ubak shed his maiden tag in some style by running out a surprise winner of the John Smith's Mersey Novices' Hurdle at Aintree this afternoon.

THE Diary is used to screaming girls as he walks through the streets (ahem), but even this correspondent knew something was up as a posse of women shrieked uncontrollably as he walked past the Arkle bar.

The crowds had already began to spill out into the approaching gloom of the surrounding countryside by the time Thomas Mullins’s Alderwood made it a record 14th Irish-trained winner at this week’s Cheltenham Festival.

Yesterday was a nearly day, as Jetson and Bostons Angel both ran their hearts out to be third and fourth.

The Willie Mullins-trained Mozoltov booked his ticket to Cheltenham when getting the better of favourite Don Cossack in a tremendous tussle for the Grade 2 Racing UK Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle.

Alderwood could well go back down the handicap route at this season’s Cheltenham Festival after making it third time lucky over fences at Navan on Sunday.

Cause Of Causes, winner of the valuable Ladbroke in Ascot before Christmas, followed-up when getting the better of Midnight Games in a fascinating battle for the three-runner Follow Navan On Facebook Hurdle in Navan yesterday.

Arvika Ligeonniere is one of five entries from Willie Mullins in the Frank Ward Solicitors Arkle Chase at Leopardstown on January 27.

Tofino Bay was the pick of a terrific 25-1 Navan treble for Irish champion jockey Davy Russell and owners Gigginstown House Stud.

Charles Byrnes is keeping everything crossed he can keep Weapon’s Amnesty and Solwhit in one piece this season after welcoming his two stable stars back into training following lengthy absences.

Sizing Europe rounded off his campaign with a workmanlike success in the boylesports.com Champion Chase at Punchestown last evening.

Punchestown, as ever, is a microcosm of Irish society — a brash playground for the nouveau riche during the boom years and a less vulgar, more genuine celebration of all things equine during these austere times.

Peter Maher’s Big Shu claimed a narrow victory in the Kildare Hunt Club Fr Sean Breen Memorial Chase, the opening race of the 2012 Punchestown Festival.

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle third Trifolium aims to secure a Grade One prize of his own in the Evening Herald Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown today.

THERE is a most disappointing start to the Punchestown festival this evening, with the three Grade 1 races producing very uncompetitive fields.

Tony McCoy’s visits to Ireland aren’t always the most successful, but he took his total for the two days at Fairyhouse to four when guiding Get Me Out Of Here to a smooth success in the Keelings’ Irish Strawberry Hurdle, before powering Alderwood to victory in the Rathbarry and Glenview Studs Novice Hurdle.

Only for the Mullins family this week, with some help from Rodger Sweeney, Ireland would have been sunk without trace.

Tony McCoy finally opened his account at the 2012 Cheltenham Festival when forcing Alderwood home in the Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Laganbank looks like being another exciting member of the powerful Willie Mullins team judged on his promising victory at Listowel.

BULLOCK HARBOUR, fresh from his win on the flat under Conor O’Dwyer at Bellewstown last week, put up a decent effort to take the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Novice Hurdle at Killarney last night.

KEN CONDON moved his total for the week at the track to three when Peaks Of Fire took the Dawn Omega Milk Maiden at the final stage of Killarney yesterday.

STAYING ARTICLE, runaway winner of a recent Punchestown bumper on his debut, collared odds-on favourite Rivage D’Or close home to land the Racing Again At Naas On 24th November Maiden Hurdle at Naas yesterday.

ONCE-RACED Alderwood is the nap choice to land the Bumper for Tom Mullins at Clonmel this afternoon.