Nearly five months after Jumbo Rio capitalised on Tharawaat's last-flight spill in the Ballymore Champion Four-year-old Hurdle at Punchestown, Grade One National Hunt racing returns at Down Royal today.

Thanks to the generation-defining brilliance of Sea The Stars, the concluding Flat season has been that bit more tolerable for National Hunt folk otherwise indifferent to the summer discipline.

By transcending his genre, and maybe even the confines of sport, Sea The Stars ensured that time flew by. Low and behold, Christmas is bearing down on us. More pertinently, mud-loving sloggers like Notre Pere are back on the radar.

Jim Dreaper's old-fashioned chaser will start favourite for this afternoon's JNWine.com-sponsored showpiece at the northern venue.

With the going testing, there is every likelihood that Notre Pere will pick up where Jumbo Rio left off in May and keep the prize at home. In the process, he can set the tone for the season.

difficulties

Too often over the past couple of years our top chases have gone for export without much in the way of resistance, and it should be noted that the next three in the betting for today's Champion Chase are all trained in England. War Of Attrition, our most recent Gold Cup winner, is almost unconsidered at 14/1.

While the raiders' willingness to travel says much for our prizemoney levels despite the difficulties facing the industry, there is more to it than just the sizeable pots. Each of the last two renewals of today's race went across the water, as did last season's John Durkan, Lexus, Hennessy and Punchestown Champion Chases.

In a nutshell, some of those prestigious contests have been deemed easy pickings, and our lack of muscle was further underlined by poor showings in the championship races at Cheltenham over the past two years. Last term, however, green shoots were abundant, and there is the prospect of some real growth over the months ahead.

Forpadydeplasterer, a brilliant winner of March's Irish Independent Arkle Chase, also returns on the day's northern card.

Probably the best-looking horse in the country, Tom Cooper's charge filled the runner-up spot in four other Grade Ones as a novice, and the seven-year-old will be much closer to the finished article now.

Tomorrow week, the irrepressible Hurricane Fly will make his first start outside of novice company at Punchestown, when the prospect of a showdown with Solwhit and Binocular in the Morgiana Hurdle has the makings of an early season treat. To these eyes, the Montjeu gelding was the best novice hurdler we have seen since Istabraq.

Along with the talented Solwhit, he will now challenge for the top two-mile hurdling honours, a division that has been ripe for a bona-fide star to stamp its authority on since the inevitable decline of Hardy Eustace and Brave Inca.

While Willie Mullins cites official ratings and his five-year-old's scope for improvement as the season progresses when suggesting that he wouldn't be too put out if Hurricane Fly gets turned over next week, most of the rest of us would be inconsolable.

Hurricane Fly did a fine impression of an equine version of the second coming last season, so Mullins' deferential musings are respectfully disregarded as just that. Binocular and Solwhit are formidable opponents, but promise and expectation is the lifeblood of this game.

Until there's empirical evidence that advises otherwise, we'll indulge ourselves on the supernatural magic of The Fly.

Among a stellar supporting cast that includes Cooldine and Barker, Mullins, who also asserted this week that his Closutton team is his strongest ever, has an array of talent with the potential to graduate to the higher echelons over the course of the season. His novices look formidable too, as do some other trainers'.

Dunguib and Sizing Europe, to name just two, could carry all before them and further strengthen our hand in open company down the line. Indeed, Dunguib is as low as 16/1 to eschew the novice ranks and capture the Champion Hurdle in March.

With Philip Fenton seemingly reluctant to pitch his awesome youngster in at the deep end prematurely, Dunguib has been omitted from the profiles below, which comprise five Irish-trained horses that are best equipped to translate the promise of the last couple of years into concrete form at the highest level. The real fun starts now.

(Willie Mullins)

Beaten just once in six hurdling starts, Hurricane Fly missed Cheltenham in March due to injury but confirmed the promise that he had shown in winning two earlier Grade Ones by destroying a quality field at the Punchestown festival. His form is rock solid, so he carries massive public expectation into his reappearance next week.

(Charles Byrnes)

Winner of the 2008 November Handicap, Solwhit progressed rapidly last spring to win Grade Ones at Aintree and Punchestown, latterly beating the reigning champion Punjabi. With stamina in his armoury, the staying division is an option, but his presence at Punchestown tomorrow will serve as a truth serum for Hurricane Fly.

(Jim Dreaper)

The most improved horse in training last term, Jim Dreaper's star is a jumping purist's quintessential chaser. After today, all the major staying races will again be on the agenda. If he continues to progress, a tilt at the Gold Cup would be the ultimate goal, but soft ground is a prerequisite.

(Tom Cooper)

Although today's ground will be softer than ideal, it will be disappointing if Forpadydeplasterer doesn't get off to a winning start. His fourth in the novice hurdle at Cheltenham in 2008 is the only time that he has ever finished out of the first two, and he could mature into a serious player now.

(Willie Mullins)

An exemplary display of jumping in the RSA Chase in March confirmed Cooldine the outstanding staying novice of the campaign. The subsequent leap to Gold Cup class is considerable, but the seven-year-old should be thereabouts. Will start in the John Durkan Chase, with a tilt at Kauto Star in the King George then a possibility.

- RICHARD FORRISTAL

Irish Independent