Grade 1 & 2 winners for Top 40

The second day of Fairyhouse's Easter Festival took place on Sunday and it proved an excellent afternoon for the Top 40 Prospects in One Jump Ahead. Seventeen days after her defeat at the Cheltenham Festival, Jade De Grugy (7/4) regained the winning thread with victory in the Grade 1 Honeysuckle Mares' Novice Hurdle. The ex-French filly appreciated the return to two and a half miles showing a good attitude to lead on the run-in and prevail by two and a quarter lengths. The Doctor Dino filly raced enthuasiastically early on and still had plenty to do rounding the hometurn before finding plenty for pressure. While a trip to the Punchestown Festival could be on her agenda next month, she is expected to be aimed at the mares' hurdle at next year's Cheltenham Festival. She has been a terrific selection for the Top 40.

Stablemate Mirazur West (9/4) had failed to live up to expectations for the majority of the season, including at Naas last time. However, the full-brother to Ferny Hollow finally showed what he is capable of with a dominant display in the Grade 2 novice hurdle. Making all and jumping slickly throughout, the Westerner gelding never looked like being headed establishing a good advantage and maintaining it by winning margin of four and a half lengths. The six year old is also likely to head to Punchestown before going chasing in the Autumn.

Those horses featured in the Handicap Hits section of OJA have also had a profitable week. Earlier in the week, Montregard scored at Wetherby and the same owner's Grain D'Oudairies (5/1) was an emphatic winner of the two miles one handicap chase at Market Rasen on Sunday. The Donald McCain trained runner hadn't been seen since disappointing on his fencing debut at Ayr at the beginning of the year but he was a different proposition here making virtually all before bounding sixteen lengths clear off a mark of 110. It was the J.P.McManus owned eight year old's second win of the campaign.

Thank you very much to those clients who have purchased the new edition of Ahead On The Flat (published on the 8th April) and the Aintree Grand National Update over the weekend. If you haven't ordered either or both, please head to the Publications section of the site.