Fairyhouse Sunday review: Reports, reaction and free video replays
By Sporting Life
16:28 · SUN January 01, 2023
A review of the pick of the action from Fairyhouse on New Year's Day as James Du Berlais made a winning start over fences.
The high-class James Du Berlais made no mistake as 1/4 favourite on his debut over fences and first run for 612 days in the McInerney Beginners' Chase.
Willie Mullins' charge has always held a lofty reputation since arriving as an experienced hurdler from France, so much so he made his belated first start for the yard in the 2021 Unibet Champion Hurdle.
He could manage only ninth behind Honeysuckle at Cheltenham but went on to be second to stablemate Klassical Dream in the three-mile Stayers' Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival the following month, and hadn't been seen since.
Quite fresh and keen under under owner Simon Munir and Isaac Souede's number one jockey Daryl Jacob, he had his inferior rivals cooked from a long way out and although a little scruffy three fences from the finish, he negotiated the final two well enough and was kept up to his work to beat 8/1 chance Capilano Bridge by 15 lengths, with 32 lengths back to third Ballykeel (5/1).
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Sky Bet reacted by cutting James Du Berlais to 9/1 from 11/1 for the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at Cheltenham in March, and 10/1 from 25/1 for the Turners Novices' Chase over the intermediate trip of two and a half miles.
Winning rider Jacob said: “He’s a great jumper, but I haven’t ridden a Willie Mullins horse that fresh for a long time. He’s been off the track for a long time and he was fresh under me all the way.
“When he sees a fence, he says ‘let me at it’. He takes them on and a couple that he’s got in deep, I’ve tried to educate him.
“He was a very good horse over hurdles and it’s good to have him back again.
"He’s had a nice blow going down to the last but when I gave him a little squeeze, he’s winged the last and gone away nicely. He could be really exciting over two and a half or three miles. He’s got plenty of pace."
O’Brien sights set on Cheltenham with Scarlet And Dove
Scarlet And Dove went two better than last year’s third in the John & Chich Fowler Memorial EBF Mares Chase to land the spoils.
A bronze medallist in the Grade Three event behind Mount Ida and Elimay 12 months ago, Joseph O’Brien’s charge was sent off the 6/4 favourite this time and the market looked to have got it right as the nine-year-old and second-favourite Dolcita came to the fore at the business end of the contest.
Jumping the last together, it was Scarlet And Dove who had more in hand up the running, pushed out by Bryan Cooper to score by just shy of five lengths and record her seventh win in 19 starts.
The daughter of Jeremy was narrowly denied Cheltenham Festival glory when finishing third in a photo finish in the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase last year and the Owning Hill handler is now targeting a return to Prestbury Park for the Gigginstown-owned mare in the spring.
“She is always a difficult filly to get fit and all her career she has improved from her first run of the year. I felt she had come on,” said O’Brien.
“I was impressed. They are two good mares and they sprinted up the straight and left behind a good mare. She will run somewhere between now and Cheltenham. She ran in the Thyestes last year but we will probably find a mares’ chase for her somewhere and then on to Cheltenham.
"She ran well there last year and there is no reason why she wouldn’t do it again this year."
Dream powers to maiden success
The sizeable Indiana Dream made a winning start on Irish soil in the ITM Stallion Trail 13-14 January Maiden Hurdle.
Trained by Willie Mullins for owner JP McManus, the son of Cokorito was a winner of a bumper in France at Fontainebleau last February and made no mistake at the first time of asking over obstacles, justifying 9/4 joint-favouritism under jockey Luke Demspey.
The winner cocked his jaw and appeared to have a good look at the last but he effectively had the race in safe keeping by that point and ultimately ran on well to beat 3/1 chance An Mhi by 15 lengths. Nine Graces (20/1) finished third.
Sky Bet introduced Indiana Dream at 20/1 in their antepost market for the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham in March. Betfair cut him from 33/1 to 20s.
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