THE Raymond Smith Memorial Hunters’ Chase at Leopardstown last Sunday is not the last chance for a pre-festival run, or even qualification for the Cheltenham Foxhunters. But for many of the Irish contenders the near five-week interval between the two races makes a perfect strategic break.

Now most of our potential challengers for this blue riband test have shown their colours and just need fine-tuning for the big day. The trainers of the principals in Sunday’s race will not be discouraged by the way the race turned out. The winner, Prince De Beauchene, is apparently not qualified for Cheltenham due to his past winnings, and the casual observer would be unlikely to make a definite favourite from what was seen. While we have some strong contenders the British challenge should not be written off too lightly. The hunter chase at Bangor on February 6th effectively saw the chance of qualification for several horses gone for another year.