There’s Grade 1 action at Fairyhouse on Sunday and Phill Anderson from the Racing Post returns with a trio of selections.

Champ Kiely @ 13/8

1.25 Fairyhouse

1pt win

Punitive @ SP

12.55 Fairyhouse

1pt each-way

Comfort Zone @ SP

12.25 Fairyhouse

1pt win

Champ Kiely can go well on his Royal Bond mission

It looks like a decent renewal of the Royal Bond and Champ Kiely looks up to maintaining his unbeaten record under Rules.

The six-year-old is one of four in the race for Willie Mullins but he holds standout claims on form having made easy work of a Grade 3 last time out.

He had the talented Brazil in behind him that day and that rival couldn’t have done much more for the form when winning a competitive-looking Grade 3 in good style subsequently.

Champ Kiely almost certainly has more to offer, and having proven himself on this sort of ground already, he looks capable of giving Willie Mullins his 10th win in the race.

Marine Nationale is another that is unbeaten under Rules and he impressed with his jumping on his hurdle debut last time. He’s one to watch with the future in mind.

Punitive can inflict punishment on his rivals

The Porterstown is one of the better races on the card from a punting perspective and trainer Gordon Elliott has a typically strong hand for this year’s renewal.

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Elliott has landed three of the last four runnings of this contest and a case can be made for each of his trio of contenders this time around.

The value option may be Punitive, who unseated early doors in the Troytown at Navan last week. That was an uncharacteristic mistake that is probably worth forgiving and he had been in good form prior to that with a pair of narrow defeats at Galway and Cheltenham.

His stamina is unproven at this sort of trip, trying three miles and five furlongs for the first time, but he battled on gamely up the hill at Cheltenham when runner-up on his penultimate start, and that effort suggested a marathon trip could be up his street.

There’s a chance that he will get overlooked in the market, with Davy Russell and Jack Kennedy riding his two stablemates, but Punitive’s jockey, Jordan Gainford, rides plenty of winners for Elliott.

Lord Lariat is probably the main danger to the selection, returning to the scene of his Irish National triumph and he still looks feasibly treated from this sort of mark. 

Expect him to put a low-key reappearance behind him now stepping back up in trip.

O’Brien prospect can take rivals out of their Comfort Zone

Willie Mullins has a typically strong hand in the Juvenile Hurdle earlier on the card but last week’s winner, Comfort Zone, might offer a bit of value against the Closutton runners.

Comfort Zone was a useful sort when trained on the Flat and there was plenty to like about last week’s hurdle bow when bolting up at Navan.

That form is untested, but he had two very promising types that were both prominent in the market behind him that day and he won in a better fashion than the six-length margin suggested.

If he improves from that back on better ground (won on good on the Flat) with experience under his belt, then he could be the one to beat.