The gatecrashing of the Champion Hurdle party by APPLE’S JADE at the weekend is the big talking-point as the countdown to the Cheltenham Festival hots up.
The victory of Gordon Elliott’s mare was one of the highlights of the two-day Dublin Festival at Leopardstown. The meeting was scarred on the Saturday by the omission of obstacles because of low sun, and then spoiled on the Sunday by a plethora of non-runners, caused by quick ground. But it still set Festival minds racing, so I thought it would be an oppportune time to assess how the big five races of the meeting in mid-March are shaping up.