TREATING end-of-season form literally from the Punchestown Festival when assigning a pecking order for next season can be a dangerous perspective to take.

For example, only a third of the 12 Grade 1 winners from last year’s meeting managed to win in Grade 1 company again this season (Majborough, Teahupoo, Final Demand and Lulamba the four to repeat the dose).

What’s more, a number of 2025 Punchestown disappointments like Kopek Des Bordes (bombed out as 30/100 favourite), Fact To File (last to finish as 11/10 favourite) and Brighterdaysahead (a middling third to Jade De Grugy at 6/4) proved this season that they were much better than what they showed in the finale weekend in Co Kildare 12 months ago. At the end of a long season, unusual results aren’t that uncommon.

While we shouldn’t be hasty and make snap judgements on foot of this festival, one angle did jump out as a theme to be conscious of for next season. It feels as though there is a strong likelihood that we are not dealing with a vintage crop of Grade 1 novice hurdlers in Ireland this season. At the very best, the picture is murky.

That theory of a below-average level isn’t driven purely by Punchestown. Not by any means. Look at the Cheltenham Festival returns for Irish-trained novices; three of the four novice hurdles at Prestbury Park went the way of the British - including a famous 1-2-3-4 for the home team in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (the only four British runners in the race).

Two of the three places behind King Rasko Grey in the Turners were filled by British representatives too.

There were some notable disappointments for the visitors in the Supreme, namely Talk The Talk, El Cairos and Mighty Park, while the likes of Ballyfad, Skylight Hustle (admittedly with some excuses), Sober and Sortudo failed to live up to expectations in the Turners.

At Aintree, there was a weak enough Irish challenge in the Grade 1 novice hurdles. Still, it must be noted that Zeus Power (Sefton) was the only visiting winner of a novice hurdle there and third-placed Ballyfad (Mersey) ended up being the sole placed Irish horse in any of the novice hurdle Grade 1s on Merseyside.

What’s concerning about the results from both meetings is that those who were fighting out of the finishes of Ireland’s top novice hurdles events were largely unable to make their presence felt on the big spring stage.

Form not upheld

The form of the Grade 1 Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle from Leopardstown at Christmas has taken massive knocks; Skylight Hustle beat Carrigmoornaspruce and Love Me Tender in a race where Talk The Talk crashed out late on.

Talk The Talk and Ballyfad failed to follow up their 1-2 in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle from the Dublin Racing Festival, though thankfully King Rasko Grey did hold up his end of the bargain by progressing for back-to-back wins at Cheltenham and Punchestown.

Talk The Talk and Skylight Hustle failed to deliver their best at the Cheltenham Festival, both having previously won Grade 1 novice hurdles in Ireland \ Healy Racing

The Grade 1 Ballymore Novice Hurdle from Naas often produces top sorts, and 2026 scorer I’ll Sort That wasn’t disgraced at Cheltenham. That said, he still finished outside the first four.

Sortudo, who pulled well clear of the rest in second, was beaten nearly 20 lengths when 13th in the Turners. In fairness, the Naas third, Fruit De Mer, was a good second in the Albert Bartlett, but was beaten 19 lengths again at Punchestown back in fourth over three miles.

There have to be some doubts over just how strong the Grade 1 Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival was too. The winner, Doctor Steinberg, raced too freely in the Albert Bartlett to give himself a chance of staying (pulled up). That effort probably left its mark on him when the last to finish at Punchestown last week.

Still, the form hasn’t been franked by runner-up Kazanzky (no fireworks at Cheltenham or Punchestown since) or the third, Love Me Tender (beaten double-digit margins at Fairyhouse and Punchestown).

As for the Grade 1 results at Punchestown, Eachtotheirown deserves credit for a dominant front-running display in the PRL Champion Novice Hurdle over two miles. He was previously last in the Supreme and before that won a Thurles handicap hurdle off 124.

Derham raider

There was no British-trained runner in that field, but there were two in the three-mile Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle - one of which won convincingly. Harry Derham’s raider Le Frimeur looked smart in his 18/1 upset.

Le Frimeur provided Harry Derham with his first Grade 1 winner as a trainer \ Healy Racing

Fairyhouse Grade 1 winner Zanoosh adds substance to the form, though this was admittedly coming towards the end of a busy year for her, and she was beaten six and a half lengths in second. The winner had never tried graded company before, yet was able to strike at the highest level in Ireland.

Finally, King Rasko Grey did hang on in the extended-two-and-a-half-mile Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle, though it wasn’t without a real scare. Where did that threat emerge from? The sole British-trained horse in the line-up, Lord Byron, who failed by just a head and would have got there with another couple of strides.

All in all, there are eight Grade 1 novice hurdles in the Irish calendar; five of which come before Punchestown. They were won by five different horses this season and all five have been beaten since. It’s early days, but none have won following their first Grade 1 success.

British runners were a head away from winning both of the Grade 1 novice hurdles they contested at the Punchestown Festival and, as outlined earlier, mopped up three of the four equivalent races at Cheltenham.

Now, we are dealing with young horses with obvious potential to improve. And, to go back to the original starting point, there aren’t always definitive conclusions to be drawn at the end of a season.

Girl power

Three points come to mind, though. First up, if there is an exception to the current novice hurdling crop in Ireland, it is surely the mares. The aforementioned Zanoosh ran a belter in defeat at Punchestown and the form of her Fairyhouse win in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle at Easter got quite the boost when runner-up Place De La Nation beat her senior rivals, Jade De Grugy and Wodhooh, in the SBK Irish EBF Mares Champion Hurdle on Saturday. That looks a smart contest.

In the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, White Noise was a shock winner for the hosts, but the visiting mares did largely run well in defeat; Oldschool Outlaw, Place De La Nation and Charme De Faust completing the first four for Ireland. The ladies look worth following into senior company next term.

King Rasko Grey (left) held on to deny a late lunge from Lord Byron (right) at Punchestown on Friday. The runner-up remains a maiden over hurdles and has his novice status intact for next season \ Healy Racing

Secondly, it’s possible the greater strength graduating into senior company next spring might be coming from the juvenile hurdling division. Narciso Has looked a top prospect when winning back-to-back starts at Leopardstown (Christmas and DRF) and was an obvious loss to the Triumph Hurdle picture after his setback. Still, there was an Irish 1-4-6-7 in that Cheltenham Grade 1, and beaten favourite Proactif bounced back with a Grade 2 win at Fairyhouse subsequently.

Mange Tout and Selma De Vary finished 1-2 for the guests in Grade 1 company at Aintree, and there were some sizeable reputations on show at Punchestown on Saturday when Fred Winter hero Saratoga followed up in the Ballymore Champion Four Year Old Hurdle. He could be anything next season and adds to what looks a rich domestic picture.

The fact Lord Byron, a four-year-old who had been fifth in the Triumph, was almost able to beat the Turners winner is an intriguing indicator too.

Finally, is it possible the best Irish-trained novice hurdler of the bunch missed both the Punchestown Festival and the Cheltenham Festival?

He’s On Fire could hardly have been any more impressive when destroying his rivals in a Fairyhouse Grade 2 over Easter. He’s never run in a Grade 1 and will need to take on stronger opposition next season, but Susannah Ricci’s five-year-old remains a most exciting prospect.

We’ll all learn together next season just how strongly what we’ve been following all season works out.