Sir Des Champs can finally prove he is a realistic Cheltenham Gold Cup horse by landing the Hennessy at Leopardstown this afternoon.

The racing at Cheltenham this afternoon is very competitive, but I’m more than hopeful that Dodging Bullets (3.05) can follow in the hoofprints of Far West, who landed the nap in style last weekend.

Everything Zain gets the nap in the Tote Jackpot three-year-old Maiden Hurdle at Killarney this evening.

Patience should be rewarded by the Tom Mullins-trained mare Elsie in tonight’s bumper in Killarney, the Killarney Racegoers Ladies Flat Race.

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.

FOLLOWING much soul-searching the logical conclusion to be drawn is that The Real Article is the most likely winner of this afternoon’s Guinness Galway Hurdle.

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.

MAGICAL MEMOIR can prove the bet of the weekend in the www.gowranpark.ie Hurdle at the Kilkenny track tomorrow.

EOIN DOYLE’S The Fonze won the 16th race of his life when giving an exhibition of jumping in the Limerick Junction Chase at Tipperary last night.

THERE’S always something of a lull between Cheltenham and Aintree and the racing this weekend is fairly mundane.

STYLE OF CAMPILE can redeem the promise of a recent run at Galway by landing the Templemore Mares’ Maiden Hurdle at Thurles this afternoon.

Albertas Run, Madison Du Berlais and Notre Pere head the weights on 11st 10lb for the John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree on April 10.

EVERY year we travel to Cheltenham it’s taken as a given that one of ours will definitely win the Bumper.

An informative renewal of the BGC Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot on December 19 is in store, with a potential cast headed by Big Buck’s.

“THERE was great pleasure in that”, remarked Tom Cooper, after he watched his son, Bryan, guide the trainer’s Rossdara to success in the Cahir Mares Maiden hurdle at Clonmel yesterday.

THURLES houses its first meeting of the National Hunt season this afternoon, starting with a particularly competitive programme.

TIME ELECTRIC, deprived of a good opportunity with the cancellation of Killarney last evening, heads to Kerry tonight, should the meeting pass a 7.30 inspection this morning, for the Ladbrokes’ Gold Rush Handicap Hurdle.

Willie Mullins’ Deutschland, ante-post favourite for tomorrow’s Arthur Guinness Galway Hurdle, scraped into the 20-runner field by one runner.

TAKE a chance on Deise Dan getting his act together in the 20-runner Kilfeacle Maiden Hurdle at Tipperary tonight.

Notre Pere has been declared for Monday’s Powers Whiskey Irish Grand National, despite Jim Dreaper admitting to concerns about the ground being faster than ideal.

Exotic Dancer is among eight possibles for the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown on Sunday.

PUNTERS had a real shock to the system, and it came early as well, in yesterday’s featured Grade 3 Phil Sweeney Memorial Chase at Thurles.

KING Of Queens can land the nap in the Grade 3 Juvenile Hurdle at Punchestown today, should the meeting pass a 7.30 am inspection.

TOM MULLINS’ Made In Taipan can make it two from two over fences in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Novice Chase at Navan this afternoon, should the meeting survive a 7.30am inspection.

TRAFFORD LAD is napped to leave a moderate first effort over fences well behind by landing the Grade 3 A Space Cabins Florida Pearl Novice Chase at Punchestown this afternoon.

A HUGE amount of runners really makes Navan this afternoon a less than appetising prospect.

Time Electric will not run in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival.

Chelsea Harbour (10-1) was a brave winner of the three-and-a-half-mile Aspace Cabins Grand National Trial Handicap at Punchestown today.

Multiple Grade One-winning hurdler Asian Maze has been retired.

New Field, 7-1 favourite with Cashmans for the Coral Cup, could instead run in the Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle if the ground is soft at the Cheltenham Festival.

Irish-trained horses make up more than half of the 28 entries for this year’s Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

ASIAN MAZE is fancied to lead her rivals a merry dance in the Ballymore Properties Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse tomorrow.

Asian Maze bounced back from a crashing fall at Cheltenham to trounce a high-class field in the Scottish And Newcastle Aintree Hurdle.

Hardy Eustace will face 17 rivals as he bids for a third Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle success at Cheltenham on Tuesday.

ALL the leading fancies have stood their ground for the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle and appear among a total of 19 possibles for the big race on Tuesday.

All the leading fancies have stood their ground for the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle and appear among a total of 19 possibles for the big race on Tuesday.