Essex wins the Pierse Hurdle.

By Michael Clower

Hedgehunter and Publican were the two horses who emerged with most credit from the many trials at Fairyhouse and Naas last weekend.

The former ran a blinder in last season's Grand National when he made most of the running and, while he tired in the closing stages, he might well have made the frame had he not capsized at the last.

The National has been his target ever since and he has been campaigned over hurdles all season to protect his handicap mark. Saturday's Bobbyjo Chase was his first experience of fences since Aintree - he hadn't even been schooled at home - and he jumped brilliantly to lead throughout.

Willie Mullins is concerned that the nine-year-old will have too much weight in the National with 10st 12lb, particularly as he expects the weights to go up a couple of pounds. No horse has won with 11st or more since Rhyme 'N' Reason 17 years ago but few other horses in the field will have a better chance of making the frame. However, there seems no point in backing him at his present price of 14-1 or 16-1 because the odds are likely to be almost as good on the day of the race.

Publican was a high-class bumper horse who was being aimed at the Champion Bumper until Pat Fahy discovered that he had run too many times. Sunday's Saggart Maiden Hurdle was the five-year-old's second outing over hurdles and he was most impressive. He took it up coming to the last and fairly sprinted away to win a really good maiden by seven lengths.

Fahy rates him the best he has ever trained and the initial quotes of 25-1 and 33-1 looked exceptional value but Pricewise's selection in Tuesday's Racing Post killed the price and he is now a 14-1 chance with most layers. At this stage, that's too short and punters would be better advised to keep their options open.

Ireland's prospects in the Festival handicap hurdles have suffered a blow with the realisation that most of them are going to be racing off a higher mark than they would in Ireland. The five-year-olds are particularly badly affected because the British handicappers calculate they are 6lb or 7lb under-rated.

In theory, this makes them worth backing at home and backs up the observation made by Michael O'Brien immediately after Essex had won the Pierse Hurdle in January that "a good four-year-old coming into his five-year-old career is usually well handicapped".

This is primarily because the Irish handicapper does not take into account the improvement a horse makes as he nears physical maturity while his British counterparts make allowances for this when computing their ratings.

Fairyhouse and Punchestown this weekend are both struggling to race because of snow on the course and the best prospects are probably at Downpatrick which stages its first Sunday Ulster National. Tom Taaffe's course winner Kald River is tipped.