THE Grade 1 novice chases at both Leopardstown and Limerick unsurprisingly garnered all the spotlight on St Stephen’s Day, however for hunter chase followers, Down Royal played host to what arguably has been the strongest race within the division on this side of the Irish Sea for quite some time.

A capacity field left three reserves for the race, something of a rarity in hunter chases these days, and it was the depth of quality in the 16-runner field which was particularly standout. With the exception of Enda Bolger’s Stand Up And Fight and Declan Queally’s Fenno’s Storm, who has not quite reached the heights expected of him in his last two outings, all the leading contenders from hunter chases last season lined up alongside those newer additions to the division that had already made their mark in open company this term.

That included the Joseph O’Reilly winner Ucello Conti, the second and fourth from the Aintree Foxhunters in Burning Ambition and Coastal Tiep, It Came To Pass, who had won the opening hunter chase of the season at Cork in November, Downpatrick winner Billaway, and former Grade 2 winner Arctic Skipper, who has won five of the seven opens that he has contested since stepping back from the track in November 2018.

They faced up against the new star names to the division this season, 2016 Cheltenham Festival winner Black Hercules and the 2018 Irish Gold Cup winner Edwulf, who 12 months earlier had been contesting the Savills Chase at Leopardstown against Kemboy, Road To Respect and co.

Perhaps the lack of a standout performer in the division on this side of the Irish Sea was a factor in attracting such a deep field, with no big name to scare off potential opponents.That being said however, a 14-runner field jumped off in the 2013 renewal which featured the heavyweights of the hunter division from the last decade in On The Fringe, Tammys Hill and Salsify, highlighting just how well supported the race has been through the years.

Cheltenham success

That 2013 race produced the first, second and third horses home in that season’s Cheltenham Foxhunters at what was a golden time for hunter chasing in Ireland, and while those horses have yet to be emulated as we look to prevent British-trained horses from winning a fourth consecutive Foxhunters in March, there may be some new names breaking through on the basis of the latest St Stephen’s Day renewal.

Despite this year’s race being packed with high-achieving track horses, it was a pair of horses sent off at double-figure starting prices that led the field home in Dylrow and Billaway.

In springing a 25/1 upset, the former once again illustrated David Christie’s incredible talent for sourcing horses for the open and hunter chase division from what may seem the most unlikely of places.

The Kalanisi gelding pulled up at Down Royal in May on what was his final outing for Robbie Hennessy. A mark of 122 may well have left him with some 35lb to find with the likes of Edwulf on official ratings, however as is so often the case with hunter chases, they are great levellers, and Jordan Gainford’s valuable 7lb claim, saw them finish a length in front of Billaway, with Edwulf a further three and a half lengths back in third.

With the first and third having already won opens at Kirkistown and Loughrea respectively this season, it makes the performance of Billaway all the more notable on what was his seasonal reappearance.

He had been entered for the Cork hunter chase last month but was not qualified as he did not have a valid hunter certificate at the time, leaving this as his first run since April.

Although trained by the champion trainer Willie Mullins, he does have the profile of an old school point-to-pointer/hunter chaser, as since being bought by the Closutton maestro for £50,000 after winning his maiden at Ballinaboola for Tracey Gilmour, he has only contested point-to-point bumpers and hunter chases.

Many of Mullins’ other hunter chasers may come with bigger reputations this season, however it could well be that the now eight-year-old, who has just nine runs to his name, could come of age this season.

Whether any of the connections of the leading British hopes will have lost sleep following the Down Royal race, remains to be seen, however either way, the depth of this season’s renewal from an Irish viewpoint, ensures it will prove a key piece of form for our own domestic races for the coming weeks and months.

THE Christmas hunter chases proved to be particularly notable for northern Irish point-to-pointing, with both winners trained in the north – David Christie’s Down Royal success being followed 24 hours later by the victory of Samurai Cracker at Limerick for Caroline McCaldin.

Both sets of connections are big supporters of point-to-points, with Down Royal winner Dylrow owned by Ray Nicholas, a bookmaker at northern points, and arguably the most significant owner of open point-to-pointers in the country at present, while Caroline McCaldin is herself the secretary of the Co. Down point-to-point, with her father Wilson Dennison sponsoring all four-year-old maiden races in the northern region.

Interestingly, both Dylrow and Samurai Cracker had their latest runs prior to those Christmas successes on the same racecard at the North Down point-to-point in Kirkistown on Saturday, November 23rd.

On that occasion, Dylrow beat Mighty Stowaway in a top-class open lightweight, while Samurai Cracker was only denied by a short-head in the winner-of-one race.

With the four-year-old maiden on that same Kirkistown card having also been won by Jamie Sloan’s Gallyhill, who became the most expensive point-to-pointer sold at public auction in 2019 when realising £450,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham December Sale, it has quickly proven to have been one of the standout days point-to-pointing of the season.

On the day there was depth across all race categories and it illustrates the growing strength that exists within point-to-pointing in the northern region at present.