- 9 of the last 1o winners were rated 120 or lower. The exception was Macs Joy who had a mark of 123 and was rated 158 on his last Irish run before his untimely demise.
- Racing weight is a very important. Again, Macs Joy was a trends buster carrying 11-0 to victory but all the other winners since 1998 carried 10-4 or less.
- The 9yo Emmpatt was a rare seasoned campaigner to land this prize last term but the nine winners before him were aged between five and seven.
- David Casey has ridden the winner four times in the last 9 renewals. His overall record in the race since 1999 reads:114132F81.
- Leopardstown handicap hurdles have been a fine guide to this race in recent years. In 2001 and 2002, Masalarian and Anxious Moments improved on top-five finishes in the Pierse Hurdle to win here. Pierse Hurdle runner-up Brave Right holds an entry this time around and is probably better racing right-handed. The 2m handicap hurdle run on ‘Cheltenham Gallops Day’ in March has been an even better guide though with 4 of the last 9 winners have had their most recent outing there. The third in this year’s renewal, Raise Your Heart, looked an unlucky loser on his handicap debut.
- Preference would have to be for a horse that’s been trained for the race. Wishwillow Lord had run 5 times since January 1st before winning here in 2006 but none of the other last 9 winners had more than 3 runs since the turn of the year.
- There has been a shift towards unexposed runners winning in the last 7 years. None of the winners since 2001 had more than 4 runs in handicap hurdles.
- Only 1 of the last 10 winners earned the in-running comment ‘held-up.’
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