Half-brothers to Cue Card, Faugheen and a son of Airlie Beach star at Christmas

Racing fans across Britain and Ireland look set to get everything they have wished for once again this Christmas, with the festive period due to play host to a feast of top class action.

No fewer than 11 Boxing Day fixtures are spearheaded by what looks an epic renewal of the King George VI Chase at Kempton, with the bandwagon rolling on to the likes of Chepstow, Leopardstown, Limerick and Newbury before culminating at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day.

Here are a few choice offerings from the breeding barn to look forward to when racing resumes following its Christmas break.

Hugos Other Horse
Wednesday

The eye-catching entry on Wincanton’s Boxing Day card is Hugos Other Horse, an £80,000 purchase from 2017's Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham November Sale by Tom Malone and Paul Nicholls who is set to debut in the famous white, black and red of the Stewart family.

The four-year-old is by Gold Well out of the Grade 2-placed mare Wicked Crack, making him a half-brother to nine-time Grade 1 hero Cue Card, who brought the house down on Boxing Day three years ago when nailing Vautour late on in the King George.

Another elite level performer, Lalor, won this on debut in 2016 before winning a Grade 2 bumper at Aintree and, given Cue Card’s prowess in this sphere, it would be no surprise to see this horse end up in something similar come the spring. If Hugos Other Horse possesses half the ability of his illustrious sibling, coupled with his trainer’s excellent record at the track, he will take a lot of stopping in what looks an ideal starting point.

Hurricane Junior
Wednesday
3:45 Limerick - Lyons Of Limerick Jaguar & Land Rover Mares INH Flat Race (2m)

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but the €3,000 that Patrick McCormack paid for Hurricane Junior at the 2017 Goffs Land Rover sale now looks like being something of a steal.

This four-year-old filly still has it all to prove on the track, but given the exploits of her Grade 1-winning brother Tornado Flyer, who will bid to enhance his burgeoning reputation in the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown on Thursday, there is every reason to think she can develop into a top class performer.

If that wasn’t enough, her dam is a half-sister to none other than Hurricane Fly.

Osmotic
Entries at Down Royal, Leopardstown and Limerick.

With no fewer than five entries to his name, €60,000 Gigginstown recruit Osmotic looks likely to make his debut in the maroon and white at some stage during the festive period.

Although the five-year-old is trained by Gordon Elliott, it is a horse in the care of his principal title rival Willie Mullins that makes this horse’s page so appealing, as Osmotic is a half-brother to the extremely talented Champion Hurdle winner Faugheen.

The nine-time Grade 1 winner remained unbeaten throughout his primitive years and gave a glimpse of his abundant talent when beating subsequent Supreme Novices’ Hurdle runner-up Josses Hill by 22 lengths in a Punchestown bumper. Like Faugheen, Osmotic would be making his rules debut as a five-year-old if he lines up in the coming days and, given that all five of his entries are in National Hunt flat races, connections clearly feel this exciting recruit is primed to do himself justice in this sphere.

Faugheen winning the 2015 Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham

Sir Erec
Thursday

The opening Maiden Hurdle on the second day of Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival looks an absolute belter and boasts plenty for Flat pedigree enthusiasts. The first horse up for discussion is Sir Erec, formerly trained by Aidan O’Brien and subsequently acquired by J P McManus to be trained by Aidan’s son Joseph, who won this contest with subsequent Triumph Hurdle winner Ivanovich Gorbatov in 2016.

This three-year-old son of Camelot turned a competitive heavy ground Limerick Listed contest into a procession back in October, while his only run subsequently was an impressive third to star stayer Stradivarius in the Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot. Given the ability he displayed on the Flat, and the fact that he hails from the family of successful Coolmore stallions Footstepsinthesand and Mahler, Sir Erec looks a particularly exciting recruit to hurdles for the ever-impressive O’Brien junior.

A fellow former Ballydoyle inmate set to debut in the same contest is Foreign Secretary, who is now under the supervision of John Halley in County Tipperary. By Galileo and out of dual Guineas heroine Finsceal Beo, big things were expected of this half-brother to Beresford Stakes winner Ol’ Man River, but he remained winless in three outings for his previous connections. His immediate pedigree gives no real indication that he will be suited to the National Hunt scene, though his page does feature some jumps winners under the third and fourth dams.

Accidental
Friday
2:45 Limerick - Future Ticketing.ie Maiden Hurdle (2m)

In one of those special quirks this sport has a habit of conjuring up, Friday’s Limerick meeting could well see the debut of a horse 'bred', owned and ridden by the same individual. The man and horse in question are Patrick Mullins and Accidental - the aptly named foal produced in the strangest of circumstances by his father Willie’s Grade 1-winning mare Airlie Beach prior to her remarkable exploits on the track.

Airlie Beach remained unbeaten in her first seven career starts and there are bumper winners aplenty in Accidental’s pedigree, including the very useful Valerian Bridge, so it strikes as somewhat surprising that this five-year-old gelding makes his racecourse debut over obstacles.

Accidental will undoubtedly have his work cut out if he is to make a winning start as he looks set to meet the highly touted Willie Mullins inmate Annamix, who despite never gracing a racecourse in Britain or Ireland is the current ante-post favourite for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Airlie Beach stands together win her son AccidentalCredit: Willie Mullins/Twitter

Others to note

Vision D’honneur
Wednesday
12:10 Leopardstown - Tote Pays Dividends Maiden Hurdle (2m)

Gordon Elliott and Gigginstown will be looking to kick off Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival in style with victory in the opening maiden hurdle, and the duo have declared the highly regarded Vision D’honneur - a €350,000 purchase at the inaugural Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris Sale held by Arqana back in May. The son of the late Vision D’Etat was a winner of his only start over hurdles at Fontainebleau for trainer Robert Collet and immediately impressed Elliott upon inspection at Auteuil earlier this year. The same connections have also declared Dark Decade, a brother to Albert Bartlett winner Martello Tower.

Josie Abbing
Wednesday
3:30 Leopardstown - Tote Supporting Irish Racing INH Flat Race (2m)

Josie Abbing’s page was given a timely boost when her half-sister Rathhill, now owned by JP McManus, won first time out for Nicky Henderson in a decent looking Newbury contest on Wednesday. Peter Fahey’s Fame and Glory filly is also closely related to Punchestown Gold Cup winner Bellshill.

Sinoria
Wednesday
1:35 Down Royal - I.N.H. Stallion Owners EBF Maiden Hurdle (2m4f)

A £130,000 purchase from the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham Sale in March, this daughter of Oscar is somewhat unlucky not to have been in the winners’ enclosure on her rules debut, when a wayward jump at the second last put paid to her chances. Given that she is a half-sister to Gold Cup runner-up Minella Rocco and on the evidence of her impressive Point-to-Point win, Sinoria should relish the step up to two and a half miles here and looks a nice type for fences down the line.

Fightwithme
Wednesday
4:25 Wolverhampton - Ladbrokes Nursery Handicap (1m½f)

It is not just National Hunt action over the festive period with the all-weather providing flat enthusiasts with a late Christmas present. Wolverhampton’s Boxing Day card sees Fightwithme, a daughter of Falmouth Stakes winner Music Show, attempt to break his maiden at the fourth time of asking.

Densfirth
Thursday
12:30 Chepstow - Get Super Smart Boosts At Coral Maiden Hurdle (2m3½f)

On Chepstow’s Welsh National card, Paul Nicholls will be hoping to get Densfirth his first taste of victory after a trio of disappointing efforts to date. The five-year-old is out of Denwoman, who is unsurprisingly a half-sister to Gold Cup winner Denman as well as dual Grade 1 winner Silverburn and the dam of useful mare Polly Peachum.

Ask For Glory
Thursday
3:55 Chepstow - "Build Your Bet" On Football At Coral Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race (2m)

Nicholls also looks to boast a strong hand in the bumper on Chepstow’s card, with empathic Point-to-Point winner Ask For Glory, whom he bought for £280,000 in conjunction with Tom Malone at the Goffs UK Spring Sale earlier this year, entered to make his rules debut. The ten-time champion trainer also has a brother to the talented Master Tommytucker, Mister Timmytucks, entered in the same contest.

Ask For Glory en route to victory at BartlemyCredit: Healy Racing

At The Acorn
Entries at Leopardstown and Limerick

This €150,000 purchase by trainer Tony Martin from the Goffs Punchestown National Hunt Sale was an impressive winner of a Point-to-Point prior to his sale. The horse he beat with the minimum of fuss that day was Collooney, who was subsequently acquired by JP McManus and won a bumper at Huntingdon on his first start for Olly Murphy in November.

Egality Mans
Entries in bumpers at Leopardstown and Limerick

Won a Liscaroll Point-to-Point with ease in March in which his three rivals all pulled up. Hard to know the strength of that form but he has since joined Willie Mullins and is a half-brother to the stable’s Grade 2 hurdle winner Coquin Mans.

Neptune
Entries in bumpers at Leopardstown and Limerick

This four-year-old son of Galileo is related to a host of winners, none more impressive than his sister Nightime, who Dermot Weld trained to win the Irish 1,000 Guineas by six lengths in 2006. She has subsequently produced emphatic Grade 1 winner Zhukova and Charlie Appleby’s highly promising dual Group 3 winner Ghaiyyath, and Neptune will need to be getting his head in front sooner rather than later if he is to reach similar heights in the National Hunt sphere.