Ballycasey © Photo Healy Racing
Ballycasey bids to give weight and a beating to three rivals in Saturday's Red Mills Chase at Gowran Park.
Winner of the PWC Champion Chase over this course and distance earlier in the season, the grey was last seen finishing third when odds-on for the Fortria Chase at Navan in November.
The 10-year-old is likely to be seen to better effect stepped back up in distance for a race local trainer Willie Mullins won with Champagne Fever in 2015.
Gigginstown House Stud are represented by Gordon Elliott's recent Clonmel scorer Clarcam and the Mouse Morris-trained Mozoltov and Jimmy Mangan's Montys Meadow rounds off the quartet.
The opening www.gowranpark.ie Beginners Chase is an interesting event.
High-class novice hurdler Bachasson fell on his chasing debut at Thurles before finding Edwulf too strong at Punchestown, but will likely be popular to make it third-time lucky.
He will not have it all his own way, however, with Cheltenham Festival winner Mall Dini and Jezki s half-brother Jett also featuring in a strong field.
The Mullins-trained Dandy Mag will be the focus of attention in the Sea Moon & Shantou At Burgage Stud Maiden Hurdle.
The four-year-old is a half-brother to Closutton star Vroum Vroum Mag and having finished runner-up in a couple of French bumpers, he is likely to be popular on his Irish debut.
Entries in the Neptune and the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham next month suggest he has inherited at least some of his sibling's ability.
A couple of similarly choicely-bred youngsters go to post for the concluding European Breeders Fund Ronan Lawlor Memorial Mares (Pro/Am) Flat Race.
Another Mullins inmate, Blixt is a daughter of Yeats and a half-sister to the mighty Hurricane Fly. Shimmer's Rock who is trained by Pat Fahy, counts multiple Grade One winner The New One as a brother and has shown up well in the point-to-point field.
