Named after the 2019 winner of the race, as well as of 16 other contests throughout a glittering career, the Faugheen Novice Chase is Limerick’s sole Grade 1. However, as well as the machine himself, further Grade 1 winners Outlander, Bellshill and Colreevy have all been successful in this race.
This year’s winner comes from one of five, with Joe Napier previewing every runner.
Gerri Colombe proved irresistible in the race a year ago, yet another horse to kick on in fine style from this contest.
Last year’s renewal saw Gordon Elliott’s GERRI COLOMBE run out a decisive winner over Adamantly Chosen (2nd) and Kilcruit (3rd):
Key Race Trends
- Faugheen is a complete outlier in terms of age: the other nine winners in the last decade have been aged six or seven
- Four favourites have won in that span, though Gerri Colombe was the first since 2016 when winning last season
- Eight of the last ten winners were making just their second start of the season
- Despite not being the most prominent track in Ireland, six of the last ten winners had run at Limerick before
Runner-By-Runner Guide
GAELIC WARRIOR
(Willie Mullins/Patrick Mullins)
Still most famous for a defeat when the talking horse of the 2022 Cheltenham Festival, Gaelic Warrior has gone some way to ensuring he will soon be remembered for his winning exploits. His novice hurdle season was a success by any measure, securing wide margin victories at a lower grade, before a handicap win at the Dublin Racing Festival, an admirable second to Impaire Et Passe at Cheltenham, then a hugely impessive triumph upped to 3m at Punchestown.
His chasing debut could hardly have been more impressive either. His 15-length winning margin does not do justice to the display he put in, having gone almost a fence clear at the front and maintaining a bounding pace until the home straight where Paul Townend could ease him home. His right-handed form now stands out as substantially stronger, so he should be very difficult to beat here, for all he faces some more serious rivals today.
AMERICAN MIKE
(Gordon Elliott/Keith Donoghue)
Around this time two years ago, it would have been expected that American Mike would be fancied enough for a Grade 1 novice chase. At that point he was the Champion Bumper favourite, having won two bumpers on the bridle and shaping like the latest Cullentra monster. In between, he won just once, in a maiden hurdle at Down Royal.
Novice hurdling proved a major disappointment for Gordon Elliott’s six-year-old. However, his chasing debut was full of promise again, as he beat another Champion Bumper runner-up in Fact To File in decisive style. That is already a career best with the form likely to be franked by the runner-up and already boosted somewhat by the third, so he is definitely in calculations if the favourite fluffs his lines.
IL ETAIT TEMPS
(Willie Mullins/Danny Mullins)
It was Il Etait Temps who first broke the aura around Facile Vega when dethroning him and three others at the Dublin Racing Festival last season. Like Gaelic Warrior, he is a five-year-old who had two seasons over hurdles as a novice after failing to score in juvenile races. Diminutive in stature but not heart, he even beat his more feted stablemate to a Grade 1 as a result of that DRF success.
He would not have seemed the most obvious chasing candidate for Willie Mullins, but he jumped fairly soundly on his debut for a small horse. That form is yet to be outstandingly boosted, though there was little to fault. Overall, he looks to have less potential to reach the top than some of these, but he and Danny Mullins have caused upsets before.
LUCID DREAMS
(John Patrick Ryan/Liam Quinlan)
John Patrick Ryan has gone old school with his campaigning of Lucid Dreams. He has been consistently on the go since March, taking in hurdling, a single bumper, and chasing since the end of September. As a result, he is the most experienced over fences, and that has generally helped him in his more recent starts.
He is now 3/6 over fences, reaching a mark in the 140s in the process. He has also improved in Graded contests, being soundly beaten in the first two he contested, but running the well-touted Imagine quite close at Punchestown at the end of last month. He could run well, and he looked in the best heart most recently, but making the frame should be beyond him.
INOTHEWAYURTHINKIN
(Gavin Cromwell/Simon Torrens)
Gavin Cromwell’s charge has not been out of the first four so far under rules, and his been a gallant enough runner-up on both his chase starts so far. The first of those saw him run Imagine close at Fairyhouse, but Gaelic Warrior left him trailing in his wake more recently.
Connections surely aren’t under any illusions that they will suddenly turn around that deficit, especially going right-handed, but this could well set him up for a useful handicap mark. He is a capable horse, but needs things to go wrong for all of his rivals to threaten.
Big-Race Verdict
The market has him short enough, but GAELIC WARRIOR prefers going right-handed, was wildly impressive on his first chasing start, and should leave his rivals trailing. That said, both American Mike and Il Etait Temps are better horses, with respect to Inothewayurthinkin, so could give him a fright if he burns out from the front. Lucid Dreams can pick up a place if either of the main challengers find themselves flailing in the favourite’s wake.
- Gaelic Warrior (4/11 generally)
- American Mike (6/1 bet365, 11/2 generally)
- Il Etait Temps (11/1 Paddy Power + Betfair, 9/1 generally)
*Odds Correct At Time Of Writing – 4.30pm Wednesday 27th December*
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