The venue may be the same but the Leopardstown track is about the only factor that won't provoke a sense of dislocation tomorrow.
Istabraq, one of the finest hurdlers ever seen, has been reduced to the role of warm-up act, with his reappearance tagged onto the start of a Christmas festival card that was supposed to be run off on Thursday but is now being staged on New Year's Eve.
Traditionalists and hallucinogenic drug users won't know what hit them - and there is no guarantee the whole thing will even go ahead as everything seems to hinge on a significant thaw tonight. Nevertheless, the persistence of the Leopardstown authorities can only be admired and the £100,000 Ericsson Chase, featuring the Gold Cup hopefuls Native Upmanship, Nick Dundee and Rince Ri, is a race worth waiting for.
A Nick Dundee success would be the perfect story emotionally but his well documented return from injury means trainer Edward O'Grady is using this race as a stepping stone in the horse's rehabilitation.
"I'll look at the track before racing. If I'm not happy with it of course we won't run the horse, but I'm very confident the people inspecting the track have the experience to make the correct decision," O'Grady said yesterday.
Nick Dundee will be ridden for the first time since that appalling fall by Norman Williamson and was still a 2 to 1 second favourite for the race with Paddy Power yesterday behind the formbook choice, Native Upmanship, who is 6 to 5.
The latter is the young horse on the up and comes here race hard, having just got the better of Florida Pearl in the Durkan Chase. Florida Pearl gave the form a boost with a fine King George effort, and Native Upmanship is the highest rated in tomorrow's race on 161.
"The weather hasn't really been a problem and we have got the exercise into the horses," Native Upmanship's trainer Arthur Moore said yesterday. "If we get the expected thaw on Saturday night we should be all right."
Papillon's success on Wednesday was a possible boost for last year's Ericsson winner, Rince Ri, who cannot be discounted, while the 1998 winner, Dorans Pride, attracted a little support yesterday. As regards the likely winner, however, the bookies look to have it about right.
Istabraq is already a 4 to 7 favourite to complete a historic four in a row in the Champion Hurdle, and as the AIB Festival Hurdle will possibly be his only start before then, it takes on an extra significance. The bookies seem to reflect everybody else's thinking and tomorrow they will be betting without Istabraq, making Stage Affair the 5 to 4 market leader to win or be runner-up to the long odds-on favourite. Sackville just has the form book edge on Arctic Copper et al in the novice chase; and Aunt Aggie can prove she's a lot better than she showed at Fairyhouse by taking the novice hurdle.
Christy Roche's horses are in such good form that Bannow Bay is bound to be a major fancy for the Woodies DIY Hurdle, but although rated a full 20lb behind Bannow Bay, it's very possible that Catch Ball's rate of improvement is not over. Her trainer Willie Mullins can double up in the bumper, courtesy of Macs Gildoran.
Leopardstown tickets originally purchased for Thursday are valid for tomorrow and Tote admission tickets, originally issued for yesterday, can also be used tomorrow.
