Weekend tips: Blue Lord can give Paul Townend winning return

Paul Townend makes a welcome return from injury this afternoon at Fairyhouse and can get straight back to winning ways abord Blue Lord

Sat, 11 Dec, 2021 - 00:30

Tommy Lyons

Paul Townend makes a welcome return from injury this afternoon at Fairyhouse and can get straight back to winning ways abord Blue Lord, who makes his seasonal and chasing debut in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners’ Chase which gets the action under way at 11:30am.

A shade below his best on his final start of last season, he was set to finish runner-up to stablemate Appreciate It until tipping up at the last in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. That form stands out against today’s company and, if he takes to jumping fences, he will take a great deal of beating. His stablemate, El Barra, has clearly had his issues but since making his belated debut, in November of last year, he has progressed quite quickly. His last two runs of last season were his best and he has the physique to make a chaser. He can give Blue Lord most to think about.

The second race is also a beginners’ chase, this time over two miles and five furlongs, and Townend also has leading claims with Stattler. A talented sort with the scope to make a considerably better chaser than he was a hurdler, he tended to race a touch too keenly over the smaller obstacles, but his ability is not in doubt.

Winner of a Leopardstown maiden and placed in a Grade 1 on his final start of last season, he makes plenty of appeal as a likely improver this season and can make a winning return at the expense of Gars De Sceaux. The last-named won a point to point in March of last year but was beaten on his first start inside the rails when runner-up to Hook Up. He won his maiden at Navan in January and took a considerable step up when running away with a novice hurdle on his final start of the season. On hurdling ratings, there is little to separate him and Stattler, but the latter can edge it this time.

Soviet Pimpernel can carry top weight to victory on his handicap debut in the Visit Fairyhouse.ie For Christmas Ideas Handicap Chase. Peter Fahey’s talented hurdler certainly hasn’t made a seamless transition to the larger obstacles but his two runs this season have offered enough encouragement to suggest his breakthrough is on the horizon. He was well beaten on return but much better last time, when catching the eye in third place behind Ciel De Neige. His opening mark of 129 compares very favourably against his hurdling mark of 142 and with two confidence boosters under his belt this season, he is ready to make his mark.

If I Sea The Moon gets called in from the reserves for the Happy Christmas From Everyone At Fairyhouse Handicap Hurdle he will take a great deal of beating. Barry Fitzgerald’s horse was suited by the testing conditions last time out at Clonmel but was desperately unlucky to run into one as well handicapped as Lucky Max, who has since won twice more. To give the form further substance, third-placed Lake Chad also won next time, which makes it clear that the lightly raced I Sea The Moon is still well treated off a 4lb higher mark.

FAIRYHOUSE

Tommy Lyons

11:30 Blue Lord (nap)

12:00 Stattler

12:30 Soviet Pimpernel (nb)

1:02 Celestial Horizon

1:37 I Sea The Moon

2:12 Hi Ho Phoenix

2:47 Select Opportunity

3:22 Liberty Dance

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11:30 El Barra