The winter season got underway in near summery conditions, on fast ground, at Thurles yesterday afternoon and, for the third consecutive year, sprightly veteran He’llberemembered landed the featured Premier County Hurdle for trainer Paul Fahey.

Thurles on a Thursday conjures up images of national hunt racing in the depths of winter, but the ground is expected to ride on the fast side this afternoon and that should suit Miss Dinamic, who can take the opener for the in-form stable of Gordon Elliott.

At Gowran Park this afternoon Weather Watch can show the benefit of recent experience and a step up in trip by taking the two-and-a-half-mile maiden hurdle.

Tony Martin’s ability to effectively target a feature handicap scaled new heights yesterday afternoon as the Meath trainer again landed Ireland’s richest National Hunt race, the Guinness Galway Hurdle, with Quick Jack, and would almost certainly have had three of the first four home had last year’s winner, Thomas Edison, not taken a tumble at the final flight.

After a game and well-deserved success in last night’s feature, the Connacht Hotel Qualified Riders’ Handicap, the Jessica Harrington-trained Modem will bid to emulate Athy Spirit (1990) and Try A Brandy (1988) by adding Thursday’s Galway Hurdle to his spoils.

Galway’s seven-day festival gets underway with a very competitive evening meeting, and True Solitaire earns the nap to take the Claregalwayhotel.ie EBF Maiden for Dermot Weld.

The gutsy seven-year-old Ravished bagged the €40,000 McSweeney Arms Hotel Killarney National for Mouse Morris, Gigginstown House Stud and Bryan Cooper in Killarney last night.

Top Notch represents a good value bet in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham, writes Tommy Lyons.

Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh have done us proud this week and it would be silly not to place our faith in them at Cheltenham today.

Annie Power is among 20 remaining entries for the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival next Tuesday.

Vautour assumed clear favouritism for the JLT Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham after getting his fencing career back on track with a facile success in the Leopardstown Killiney Novice Chase yesterday.

Edward O’Grady’s Kitten Rock can beat Willie Mullins’ Glens Melody in the Grade 2 Limestone Lad Hurdle at Naas this afternoon.

Vautour, Clarcam and Valseur Lido all appear among a classy entry of 10 for the Leopardstown Killiney Novice Chase on Sunday.

McKinley, shock winner of a Grade One novice event at Naas on Sunday, has been given 11st 2lb in the BoyleSports Hurdle at Leopardstown on January 18.

Clarcam made the most of a serious mistake from hot favourite Vautour to grab Grade One glory in the Racing Post Novice Chase at Leopardstown yesterday.

Cheltenham Festival and Punchestown hero Vautour suffered his first defeat for Willie Mullins as Clarcam ran out a impressive winner of the Racing Post Novice Chase at Leopardstown for Gordon Elliott and Bryan Cooper.

Reigning Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Lord Windermere is one of the star names among 29 entries for the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown on December 28.

I’m sure most people are delighted with the mild and dry weather we have been experiencing for a while now, but for those of us in the racing game, at least the National Hunt end of things, it is really annoying.

Brian Ellison returns to Ireland is search of another big pot when he saddles two in the Irish Cesarewitch at the Curragh tomorrow.

The great Sizing Europe heads to Gowran Park today in an attempt to win the Grade 2 PWC Champion Chase for the fourth year in-a-row.

Under a power-packed ride by Barry Geraghty, even-money favourite Ted Veale swooped late to beat market rival Un Beau Roman and longtime leader, The Black Russian, in the Grade 3 At The Races Kilbegnet Novice Chase in Roscommon yesterday.

He is far from my favourite horse, but if ever a contest was made for Ted Veale it is the Grade 3 At The Races EBF Kilbegnet Novice Chase at Roscommon this afternoon.

Brian Ellison vowed to return to Galway after Baraweez and Pacific Heights gave him a one-three in the €100,000 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Ahonoora Handicap on the final day of the Festival.

Ireland’s champion trainer Willie Mullins saddles two runners for the Ryanair Novice Chase at Punchestown on Thursday.

Willie Mullins has left Un De Sceaux in the Stan James Champion Hurdle alongside Hurricane Fly.

The Hennessy meeting at Leopardstown is a great starting point for anyone attempting to identify possible Cheltenham festival winners.

It’s impossible to oppose Jezki on his seasonal bow in today’s Grade 2 WKD Hurdle in Down Royal.

Trainer Tony Martin admits only time will tell whether Ted Veale’s recent exertions have taken their toll ahead of his bid for his second win in the space of four days in this afternoon’s Betfred Ebor (3.50) at York.

Successful over course and distance last month, the Tony Martin-trained Ted Veale bounced back from his Galway Hurdle disappointment when justifying odds-on favouritism in last night’s finale in Bellewstown, the irishmirror.ie Amateur Race.

What a wizard this Michael Winters is! A year ago he produced Rebel Fitz to land the Guinness Galway Hurdle and returned to Ballybrit yesterday to win the race again, this time with the cracking mare Missunited.

Cork claimed the throne as the new Kings of Ballybrit as the Mick Winters-trained Missunited romped home to make it back-to back Galway Hurdles for the rebel county.

Gordon Elliott’s Flaxen Flare gets the vote in the Guinness Galway Hurdle at Ballybrit this afternoon.

Twelve months on from Rebel Fitz’s Guinness Galway Hurdle victory, Mick Winters shoots for glory once again with Missunited at the Ballybrit track.

Michael Winters’ Rebel Fitz has been allotted top weight in the www.thetote.com Galway Plate on July 31.

Many races at the four-day Killarney meeting, starting on Monday, will be scrutinised with one thing in mind - the Galway festival at the end of the month.

Tony Martin is eyeing a crack at the Guinness Galway Hurdle with Ted Veale following his success at Bellewstown last night.

Make Your Mark might be good enough to register his second hurdle success in the Friday Evening Racing Hurdle in Cork tonight.

What this year’s Irish National Hunt Festival at Punchestown confirms is trainers are now targeting it and making sure their best horses are specifically fresh for it.

An 83-year-old punter who has “religiously followed’’ Irish Examiner racing correspondent Pat Keane’s tips for years has been rewarded with a €17,400 windfall.

Bryan Cooper, a future champion jockey if ever there was one, guided Dessie Hughes’s Our Conor to a scintillating success in the JCB Triumph Hurdle.

What another fantastic day of racing at Cheltenham, bringing to an end another magnificent festival.

Tony Martin must have given something in the region of a dozen interviews in as many minutes after Bryan Cooper guided Ted Veale to victory in the Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle yesterday.

Tony Martin and Bryan Cooper teamed up for their second Cheltenham winner in two days when Ted Veale reeled in long-time leader Tennis Cap in the Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle.