12.00 TRI Equestian Maiden Hurdle 2m

Ascending appeals as the best equipped to take this opening four-year-old maiden hurdle after a fine seasonal debut third to It’s For Me and Caldwell Potter at Punchestown. Those two horses have been declared for the Grade 1 Future Champions Novice Hurdle tomorrow and the second has since hacked up at Navan, so it looks fair form. He was only beaten 12 lengths in last season's Triumph Hurdle and just touched off in a maiden hurdle at this festival.

Anotherway and D B Cooper represent Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott respectively. Slight preference is for the latter, who won his point at Ballyknock and made a promising start to his track career when second to Jeroboam Machin at Fairyhouse.

SELECTION: ASCENDING

Next best: D B Cooper

12.35 Thorntons Recycling Maiden Hurdle 2m

Mirazur West has been hyped up as one of Willie Mullins's better novices but he may have plenty on his plate here first time out against a proven smart horse like King Of Kingsfield. Gordon Elliott's horse has finished second on all three starts this term but the latest of those was in the Grade 1 Royal Bond, when his rider bemoaned getting to the front too soon. He sets a really good standard back in this maiden hurdle.

There are loads of other interesting contenders, perhaps none more so than James’s Gate, a smart bumper horse for Willie Mullins, for whom he finished third to Facile Vega in the 2022 Champion Bumper. He missed all of last season and now makes his debut for Martin Brassil.

SELECTION: KING OF KINGSFIELD

Next best: Mirazur West

1.10 Mercedes Benz South Dublin Juvenile Hurdle 2m

Willie Mullins unleashes five juvenile hurdlers here, all imported from France. Needless to say, they all deserve respect but all bar Batman Girac will be having their first run off a break and will need to be good in what looks an above average renewal of this Grade 2.

Mighty Bandit just about gets the vote after a really smart debut performance at Punchestown, where he clocked a time faster than State Man later on the card, and in a race where the third and fourth have won since.

It’s a fair vote of confidence that Jack Kennedy has opted to ride him and not the filly Kala Conti, who was only just touched off by Nurburgring in the aforementioned Grade 3 at Fairyhouse. Nurburgring did well to knuckle down and win, especially as he was coming off a break and having his first run as a gelding, so there is slightly more upside to him now.

SELECTION: MIGHTY BANDIT

Next best: Nurburgring

1.45 careers@dornangroup.com Novice Handicap Hurdle 2m

There is a lot to like about Belgoprince coming back to the race he was just a nose away from winning two seasons ago. He has improved significantly on the flat this summer (rated 80), notably bolting up at Epsom, and he was in the process of running a fine race in a decent novice handicap hurdle at Cheltenham when he made a mess of the last and his challenge faded. His trainer loves to target this race and it’s easy to see him running big.

Attaboycharlie and Ca Plane Pour Moi are both making their handicap hurdle debuts and caught the eye at the bottom of the weights, especially the former. Eddie Cawley's horse was a length away from subsequent smart winner Waterford Whispers on his debut in a maiden hurdle at Galway and he caught the eye on his latest run when he ran on to finish seventh in the Firefox maiden hurdle at Fairyhouse.

SELECTION: BELGOPRINCE

Next best: Attaboycharlie

2.55 Racing Post Handicap Chase 2m 1f

Typical Thomas should not be underestimated here for James Fahey and can make it a hat-trick of wins. The six-year-old has really taken a liking to fences and he was a really good winner of a listed handicap chase at Cork in October, a contest that has worked out reasonably well since. He is 8lbs higher now but this is just his fifth start over fences so he has the scope to improve again.

Drumbear is also worth noting for John McConnell. Only two starts ago he had the measure of Limerick Lace, which looks really smart form now, and he has a really good record fresh.

SELECTION: TYPICAL THOMAS

Next best: Drumbear

3.30 Race And Stay INH Flat Race 2m

As usual, this looks a smart bumper, and you can make a case for several of them. Perhaps race fitness can be a factor for Prends Garde A Toi, who found only The Passing Wife too good on his debut, the pair of them coming 21 lengths at Punchestown. He previously finished second to D B Cooper in a Ballyknock point before changing hands for €155,000.

Cantico, representing Willie Mullins, is a Liscarroll point winner and makes his track debut now, while Goldinthemountains showed up reasonably well in a Punchestown Festical bumper, and could well improve now on his first start for Martin Brassil.

SELECTION: PRENDS GARDE A TOI

Next best: Cantico