THE feature race on last Sunday’s Fairyhouse card was the Grade 1 Underwriting Exchange Gold Cup Novice Chase, ably supported by the EBF Mares Novice Hurdle of similar grade. However, the true Grade 1 performer, Echoes In Rain (71), was contesting the Grade 2 novices’ hurdle earlier on the card.

The comprehensive defeat of subsequent County Hurdle winner Belfast Banter at Naas was just a glimpse of the five-year-old’s ability and the rating achieved here is very conservative given the easy manner of the victory.