The Last Samuri can give trainer Kim Bailey a second success in the Aintree Grand National, 26 years after Mr Frisk set a course record with an emphatic display.

With the Cheltenham festival stabled and fed for another year, many of Ireland’s top jump jockeys will head to Youghal, Co Cork, on Friday for the next great challenge.

The Grade 2 Istabraq Hurdle was the feature event on yesterday’s high-class mixed programme at Tipperary, and Plinth, carrying the colours of the eponymous three-time Champion Hurdler, and also trained by Aidan O’Brien, caused a minor upset when landing the spoils.

Conditions are likely to be quite testing at Ballinrobe this evening, and that should suit Blackandamber Vic, who gets the nap to take the Broderick’s Electrical Handicap Hurdle for trainer Norman Lee.

Jockey Johnny Burke was in top form on the final day of the four-day July festival at Killarney, completing a near 15-1 double aboard Viconte Du Noyer and Knockraha Prince.

 

Having conquered the slopes of Cheltenham, some of Ireland’s top jockeys will face the streets of Youghal in east Cork on Friday when they go to post for the town’s fourth annual donkey derby.

Done and dusted with the Cheltenham Festival for another year but what a week it has been! Barring Annie Power tipping up at the last in the mares’ hurdle, it has been fantastic. 

Rich Ricci is slightly favouring the chances of Pylonthepressure as he prepares to unleash a powerful team of four runners in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival today.

Fran Flood was thrilled to see Miss Xian narrowly oupoint Bothair Clei in a pulsating climax to the Woodlands Park 100 Club Leinster National at Naas yesterday.

Ruby Walsh feels his younger weighroom colleagues are too intimidated to slag him off when he has a bad day.

McKinley tore up the script as he floored his Willie Mullins-trained stablemate Tell Us More to cause a big upset in the Lawlor’s Hotel Novice Hurdle at Naas yesterday.

Willie Mullins' inconsistent Twinlight proved that when things fall in his favour he is a very good horse as he won the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase at Leopardstown today.

Irish Examiner racing correspondent Pat Keane joined Channel 4 experts Jim McGrath, Graham Cunningham, Tanya Stevenson and Mick Fitzgerald, along with Racing UK presenters Rishi Persad, Oli Bell and Gordon Brown and former jockey Kirsty Milczarek, to offer some guidance and insight into who and what to look out for in the year ahead.

Johnny Burke is eagerly looking forward to his first scheduled ride on Sizing Europe in the PWC Champion Chase at Gowran on October 4.

Eye Of The Storm dug deep to strike gold for the first time this year in the Group Three Ballyroan Stakes at Leopardstown last night.

Rae’s Creek and Alton Bay, both winners on the level at the track last time, got off the mark in impressive style in the maiden hurdle action on last night’s card in Ballinrobe.

A fledgling jockey from a racing heartland on the Cork-Waterford border is making waves within the Irish National Hunt racing scene.

Shay Barry, who ended a long and successful riding career last year, registered his first training success when Cracked Rear View landed the bumper in Sligo last night, the www.coimtysligoraces.com Pro-Am Flat Race.

It may well happen that we will hearing a lot more about Boris De Blae and Rabunda, a pair of newcomers, that finished first and second in that order in the four-year-old maiden at yesterday’s Duhallow Foxhounds point-to-point.

Mikey Fogarty was the star of the show as he snatched a 263-1 St Patrick’s Day treble at Wexford.

Punters experienced marginally the better of the exchanges at yesterday’s Dungarvan Harriers point-to-point fixture, which took place at Affane as opposed to the normal Kilossera venue, and the well-supported 6/4 favourite Davy From Milan provided them with plenty of cause for cheer by triumphing in the eight-runner open lightweight.

The Eoin Doyle-trained Mazuri Cowboy proved a shock and fortunate winner of a dramatic Lyons Of Limerick Jaguar Land Rover Hurdle at Limerick yesterday.

Trainer Andy Oliver doubled up with impressive winners All Set To Go and Jazz Girl in Roscommon last night.

With ground conditions extremely testing at yesterday’s Doneraile Hunt point-to-point meeting at Dromahane, it was a case of the best wine being left until last as the Mark Spillane-trained Lanespark cemented his position as one of the best front-runners, participating in points, at present by recording a pillar-to-post success in the closing novice riders’ open.

On a day which saw Ruby Walsh double-up on The Folkes Choice and Devil’s Elbow, the Tony Mullins-trained Clarach booked her ticket to the Guinness Galway Hurdle when coasting to a comfortable victory over the Walsh-ridden Pires in the Adare Festival Weekend Rated Hurdle in Limerick yesterday.