A GOOD starting aim for any prospective National Hunt owner is to secure a horse good enough, sound enough and lucky enough through their career to contest a race like today’s Unibet Veterans’ Chase (3.00) at Sandown.

If you’ve got that horse, you’ve almost certainly attained a big bang for your buck because today’s field of 16 have 93 wins from 485 starts between them.

The three-mile contest is the culmination of a series of races throughout the season, which have been a huge success for British jumps racing.

So much so that there have been calls for this race to move on to the Cheltenham Festival roster but it is surely much better served on a card like today’s, when it will take up significantly more limelight than it would alongside the cream of the crop in March.

Last year’s one-two-three - Jepeck, Regal Flow and Theatre Guide - are back again. Indeed the latter two, who both turned 14 yesterday, will bid to go one better than 2017 winner Pete The Feat who only just failed to defend his title at 14 the following season.

Theatre Guide, a regular participant in the series, also finished second in the race two seasons back and today will be a half century of runs for the Colin Tizzard-trained gelding, who was also placed in two Hennessys.

The winning-most horse in the race is Minellacelebration, the only horse to have 10 wins to his name. The horse with the most appearances is Nicky Henderson’s Valtor, who will be having his 60th start.

Vying for favouritism last night was the likeable Crosspark and Late Romantic (also engaged at Ayr). The latter has just turned 10 and has 15 starts on the track which marks him one of the least exposed horses in this race.

At the other end of the age spectrum, the Tolworth Hurdle (2:25) features the stars of tomorrow but is also a Grade 1 opportunity for now.

Metier, formerly trained on the flat here by Andrew Slattery, is two from two over hurdles for Harry Fry and was rated as short as 5/4 yesterday evening but should face strong challenges from at least the next two in the betting - Galice Macalo and Do Your Job. A win for either of those horses would give both their respective trainers and jockeys a maiden Grade 1 success.

Galice Macalo is trained by Jane Williams, who played an integral role in the training operation of her partner Nick, before taking over the licence in her name over two years ago. Galice Macalo finished a good second to Benson over this course and distance last month and will again be partnered by Chester Williams, son of Nick.

Do Your Job brings in strong listed form courtesy of his second to Llandinabo Lad at Haydock last time. He is trained by Michael Scudamore and will be ridden by Brendan Powell. Both have both Cheltenham Festival wins individually but bid for a first Grade 1 today.

WITH no crowds attending, Fairyhouse’s traditional New Year’s Day card has been moved to tomorrow, to fill a vacancy in the schedule, instead of clashing with Tramore yesterday.

The card is often a low-key affair but has been boosted significantly by the addition of the Grade 3 John & Chich Fowler Memorial EBF Mares Chase (2:50), another race salvaged from the Easter Festival that never was at the Meath track.

However general manager Peter Roe confirmed to The Irish Field yesterday that the movement is most likely a permanent one for the race, with the aim to boost the general quality of the card. It makes a lot of sense, especially when you have a mares’ chase at Cheltenham over the same distance - this contest will be seen as an ideal prep.

Presumably that is what Willie Mullins is thinking for the likely favourite here Salsaretta. Four from four last season, the seven-year-old was well-backed for her seasonal debut in a good handicap chase won by Daly Tiger at Punchestown, only to come down at the first fence. That she was sent off 5/1 in such a competitive affair might be significant, especially when you consider Mullins filled the second and third places with Tornado Flyer and Castlebawn West, who have achieved plenty since.

Elsewhere on the card, the ladies’ handicap hurdle has been renamed to mark the retirement of Dot Love, who had her finest moment as a trainer at Fairyhouse when winning the 2013 Irish Grand National with Liberty Counsel.

VETERANS’ Chase co-favourite Late Romantic is doubly engaged, as he has also been declared for the Retraining of Racehorses Handicap Chase (3:15) up at Ayr today.

The three-mile contest is worth only a fraction of the Sandown race but could be a much softer target with only four other rivals due to take their chance.

One of them, Strong Pursuit, is part of the furniture at Ayr. Since being bought out of the Irish point-to-point market, he has run 20 times and 19 of those runs have come at the west coast of Scotland track. He has reached the frame nine times and should be involved at the business end again with Grand National-winning and Sligo native jockey Derek Fox taking the ride for trainer Ian Duncan.

The top-weight Takingrisks also has strong links to the track having won the 2019 Scottish National over a mile further. Nicky Richards’s 11-year-old ran a fine race when fourth behind Yorkhill in the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle and will be threat to all.