The key Irish formlines you need to follow at this year's Cheltenham Festival

We're five weeks out from the Cheltenham Festival and the markets are really starting to take shape. As expected, last weekend's Dublin Racing Festival led to a number of key ante-post moves – but which races in Ireland this season could be worth a second look with the big week in mind? Racing Post handicapper James Norris investigates.

Big-race entries: 2022 Cheltenham Festival

Dornan Engineering Christmas Hurdle (Grade 1)

Leopardstown, December 28, 2021

Why the race matters

As a pointer towards the Stayers', last season's Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown was somewhat neglected, with Flooring Porter following up at 12-1. There will be no such dismissal this year as, despite defeat, Gavin Cromwell's enigmatic hurdler will likely start favourite in his quest for back-to-back Cheltenham Festival success.

Klassical Dream stole this race at the start and there must be a doubt as to whether he can maintain superiority, especially given his subsequent blowout at Gowran Park. After Champ's defeat in the Cleeve Hurdle, it does appear that this pair have the edge over the home challenge.

Klassical Dream: the Christmas Hurdle winner stole the race at the start at LeopardstownCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Other big-race eyecatchers

This Christmas Hurdle essentially broke in two at the second flight but best of the rest, Burning Victory, enhanced her festival claims. She hurdled better than ever and the drop in trip at Cheltenham, against her own sex, will surely see this former Triumph Hurdle winner in an even better light. The Mares' Hurdle is far from clear with numerous plausible contenders and perhaps only Royal Kahala, on an appropriately testing surface, would pose a daunting challenge.

Eleven lengths further back at Leopardstown was Grand Roi. He started 6-1 favourite for an unsuitably tactical Coral Cup last March and remains a worthy candidate to make amends in 2022.

Pigsback.com Maiden Hurdle

Leopardstown, December 29, 2021

Why the race matters

Can one maiden hurdle produce the winners of all three Grade 1 novice hurdles at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival? The chances are slim, and yet this race at Leopardstown produced an undoubtedly high-class first three. A related treble becomes more tempting by the week.

Journey With Me took the Bob Olinger route in bumpers, bolting up at Gowran Park just before the festival, and heads to Cheltenham in a bid to replicate his stablemate in the Ballymore. He may lack the pace of last year's winner but his engine is similarly intimidating and after one more run for experience he will arrive primed to have a big say.

Other big-race eyecatchers

Minella Crooner was essentially outpaced throughout this race and, given how strongly he stayed on to split such a talented pair, the step up to three miles seemed inevitable. That soon came at Punchestown when winning in effortless fashion by 11 lengths. He looked a bona fide Albert Bartlett contender then and confirmed it when an unlucky loser at the Dublin Racing Festival.

Kilcruit capitulated once again after duelling with Journey With Me from the last but a drop back to two miles combined with a tongue-tie at Punchestown next time reignited the spark. He arguably should have won the Champion Bumper and is worth considering in a red-hot Supreme.

Kildare Novice Chase (Grade 3)

Punchestown, January 16, 2022

Why the race matters

With this defeat of Capodanno, Bob Olinger attained a Racing Post Rating of 165. In the last ten runnings of the Turners Novices' Chase, only Yorkhill and Vautour have run to a higher figure. A reproduction of this effort at Cheltenham may well be enough for Bob Olinger to double his festival tally, yet given how he took his form and reputation to another level last March it is reasonable to expect more again from him this time around. Henry de Bromhead trains with progress towards the spring in mind and any doubts about the Ballymore winner's switch to fences should soon be allayed.

Bob Olinger (near side) en route to winning the Grade 3 Kildare Novice Chase last monthCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Other big-race eyecatchers

Much of the scepticism around Bob Olinger stems from the moment he appeared to be placed under pressure by Capodanno on the run from two out but this probably underestimates Willie Mullins' charge. As a hurdler, he only looked a potential top prospect once tried over three miles at Punchestown and a step up in trip over fences can see him contend in the Festival Novices' Chase. Collateral form fans were dealt a blow by a subsequent early unseat at Leopardstown behind Galopin Des Champs, although Gaillard Du Mesnil finished third in both races and was beaten much further by Bob Olinger.

Savills Chase (Grade 1)

Leopardstown, December 28, 2021

Why the race matters

Henry de Bromhead's relatively tight grip on the Cheltenham Gold Cup slipped over Christmas. Minella Indo ran no race in the King George VI Chase while A Plus Tard gave way late to the unspectacular Galvin in the Savills Chase.

A loss of faith in A Plus Tard may be hasty, though. He was brilliant in Haydock's Betfair Chase (180 RPR) and with a more measured ride at Leopardstown his record this season would be two from two. If there is a legitimate question mark it hangs over his jumping, which was disconcertingly sticky here and ultimately proved the difference in last year's Gold Cup.

Galvin (Davy Russell, left) overhauls A Plus Tard (centre) in an epic Grade 1 Savills ChaseCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Other big-race eyecatchers

Galvin is efficient in that department and has now established himself at the top level. The greater emphasis on stamina at Cheltenham evidently suits, while Leopardstown specialist Kemboy, who was back in third here, helps to pinpoint what was achieved here. Come March, this could prove the race on which to focus.

Franco De Port's huge run in the Thyestes Chase added a positive sheen to the form before Janidil continued to add ballast in the Irish Gold Cup on Saturday. Janidil may well win the race to be second behind Allaho in next month's Ryanair.

Patrick Ward & Co Solicitors Irish Arkle Novice Chase (Grade 1)

Leopardstown, February 5, 2022

Why the race matters

The absence of Ferny Hollow left a sizeable hole in Willie Mullins' Arkle challenge but that was helpfully filled by Blue Lord in Saturday's Irish equivalent.

His first two chase starts were largely uneventful, impressing on debut at Fairyhouse before confirming his class in a farcical fenceless event at Naas. Chasing appeared to settle him down and his relatively high-class hurdling form was taken to a new level. This defeat of Riviere D'Etel was only marginally inferior to Ferny Hollow's over Christmas and his Arkle claims are now obvious with the sharper test of Cheltenham's Old course in his favour.

Blue Lord (right) fights out the finish to Saturday's Grade 1 Irish Arkle with Riviere D'EtelCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Other big-race eyecatchers

Connections of the runner-up will fancy their chances of a reversal, although this may be optimistic given the lack of a five-year-old allowance once the festival arrives. The Mares' Chase is also an option, albeit there is little reason to step her up in trip at this stage.

In a separate contest between Joseph O'Brien stablemates, Busselton came out on top. He shaped encouragingly with handicaps in mind, plugging on after three out having been outclassed from halfway. He now has plenty of experience. He shouldn't be ignored for a race like the Grand Annual, a race in which his trainer was so cruelly denied last season.

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