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.