Cheltenham in sight again for Samcro as he returns on Boxing Day following prolific point-to-point campaign

The arrival of the Christmas racing season typically heralds an upturn in the hunter chase division.

Just one race in the category has taken place since the point-to-point campaign began in October, and if that six-runner Fairyhouse contest last month was a somewhat underwhelming start, that is set to change with a number of Christmas treats to come.

Leopardstown and Kempton may be at the centre of most racing fans' focus on St Stephen’s Day, but at 2.33pm on Tuesday, point-to-point devotees will be seeking big clues for the months ahead at Down Royal.

The Metcollect Oil Recycling Hunters Chase has been won by former stars of the division such as Tammys Hill and On The Fringe, and this year’s running could contain all the necessary depth to provide one of the biggest pre-Cheltenham clues for some of the best practitioners in this realm.

Samcro has not been beaten since switching to the open division, with a curtailed campaign last season coming to an end after three autumn victories were achieved by a 129-length cumulative winning margin.

His two-and-a-half-length winning return at Tinahely last month on his return from a 364-day absence may not have produced a winning distance remotely close to any of his 2022 triumphs, but, with the Cheltenham Festival hunter chase now an option for the former three-time Grade 1 winner, all eyes will be on how he fares in better company back on the racecourse.

Vaucelet: could clash with Its On The Line again at Down Royal on Tuesday Credit: Healy Racing

After all, many a former Graded performer has appeared rejuvenated in the pointing fields, only to disappoint when returning to the track for a hunter chase. Down Royal will therefore tell us exactly where Samcro sits in the pecking order, particularly with last season’s champion hunter chaser Its On The Line among the line-up, as well as Vaucelet, one of five entries in the race for David Christie.

The Fermanagh trainer is also represented in Earl Of Harrington Memorial Maiden Hunters Chase 24 hours later with the impressive Ballindenisk scorer Hathaways Cottage, as he bids to win the Limerick contest for a second consecutive year. Encouragingly, this race has attracted an entry of 23 horses representing 21 different trainers. All told, then, it should be a Christmas to savour for fans of the division.

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