WHEN you sit down to tackle today’s SBK Dan & Joan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase (1.57) at Fairyhouse, the best race with which to begin your study is the EasyFix Equine Handicap Chase that took place at the Winter Festival, over the same course and distance.

Three horses have won both races in the last seven years while Rebel Gold, who won today’s feature 12 months ago, had previously finished a good fifth in the EasyFix.

Even more significantly, the EasyFix looked a hot renewal this year, with The Folkes Tiara (ninth) and Pats Choice (seventh) coming out to win races since.

The EasyFix winner Solness is not attempting the double today but we do have the next best in the shape of Fighting Fit. The Philip Dempsey-trained gelding has had a fine time this season, recording back to back wins at Listowel and Galway but he showed that he could mix it with winter horses when he finished six lengths off Solness here, in what looked a deeper than usual renewal.

“He has come along really well,” Dempsey told The Irish Field yesterday. “We’ve had a great season with him - winning those good races at Galway and Listowel. I suppose he has gone up a lot in the handicap which makes it tougher for him but he ran well here the last day.

“That was a good run and we have Mark on him again which is great. I think the ground will be fine for him so hopefully he goes well again.”

We also have the fourth, fifth and sixth from the EasyFix, Whiskeywealth, Rosey’s Hollow and Grange Walk, and you can make solid cases for all three. In fact the latter mentioned could be underrated at a big price.

He was given plenty to do here in December and although he fluffed his lines in the Grade 2 Desert Orchid since, this should be more manageable for him.

The Drinmore is a far less likely source of runners, never mind winners, for today’s feature, and that makes Letsbeclearaboutit a fascinating runner. He travelled smoothly into the straight in the two-and-a-half-mile Grade 1 at the same Winter Festival only to cut out rather suddenly and seemingly fail to stay, which goes against his previous record.

He is actually only dropping two and a half furlongs in trip so he should be fine in any case, and a mark of 150 looks workable for a horse of his class and scope.

Also on today’s Fairyhouse card, Willie Mullins runs two of his juvenile hurdlers in the opening contest - Miss Manzor and Karia Des Blaises - off the back of their debut efforts in the Grade 2 Mercedes Benz South Dublin Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown on St Stephen’s Day.

Miss Manzor, who carries the Honeysuckle colours, finished a very respectable seventh in that steadily-run contest and is unsurprisingly the choice of Paul Townend in the race that the same trainer and jockey took impressively with Blood Destiny 12 months ago.

WILLIE Mullins will hope to round off a fine weekend for his novice hurdlers in the Grade 2 SkyBet Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle (1.35) at Punchestown tomorrow.

The champion trainer often sends his best novice hurdler here, Impaire Et Passe adding his name to an excellent list of his former winners 12 months ago, and he relies on the stoutly-bred Mystical Power and Lombron this time around.

Mystical Power, a son of Galileo and Annie Power, is two from two so far in his career and had been set to take on the Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle until that meeting was called off last Sunday.

Speaking at Naas yesterday, Mullins told The Irish Field: “We decided to take him out of the Naas race and go for the Punchestown race during the week. The step back in trip may not just suit him but I don’t think the race is as hot as the Lawlor’s was, so that gives him a chance. Lombron jumped well when he won at Thurles and he looks worth a shot at this. He picked up nicely to win that day and has done well since.”

As ever, the main threat to the Mullins pair is presented by Gordon Elliott, who runs impressive Navan scorer Jigoro for Bective Stud.

“Jigoro is in good form,” Elliott said. “He is stepping up in class obviously but he has been well since the last day in Navan. It’s a good race.”

Earlier Blood Destiny gets a chance to enhance his already smart novice chaser reputation when he takes on the Grade 3 Better Betting With Sky Bet Novice Chase (1.05). Elliott’s Imagine takes on the favourite.

“It’s a hot race again,” he said. “He hasn’t done much wrong and we think the step up in trip will really help him.”