Fairyhouse Handicap Hurdle Tips: Sharpness and Form Points To Fahey's Six-Year-Old Irish jumps action comes from Fairyhouse on Tuesday afternoon with eight races at the Co Meath home of the Irish National. They get underway at 12:15 and race through until 15:45 and we're focusing on the William Hill Each Way Extra Challenge Series Handicap Hurdle (15:15) over an extended two-and-a-half-miles. We've dived into the race and picked out a couple of horses to follow in the 16-runner field. William Hill Each Way Extra Challenge Series Handicap Hurdle Tips NAP: Live To Laugh Next Best: Gentle Annie William Hill Betting Offer Without exception back from a break Philip Rothwell and Tiernan Power Roche team up with the returning Without Exception, who was last spotted winning a handicap hurdle at Punchestown on heavy ground in February after an aborted campaign over fences. He's 6lb higher in the ratings on his return but retains scope to rate higher than 84 and the prospect of 'soft-soft to heavy' going on the hurdles course won't be a worry to him, so he's on any shortlist. He's the only runner in the line-up with a victory to show in recent efforts and his rider takes off a handy 5lb in the saddle. Live To Laugh ready to strike Match sharpness and recent form points to LIVE TO LAUGH for trainer Peter Fahey with Sam Ewing on board. The six-year-old has just seven starts over hurdles on his CV and has shown improvement on four appearances since switching to handicaps. He was fourth at Down Royal (3m, good to firm) in August coming back from a summer break and then second at Roscommon (good to yielding) over this sort of trip at the end of September. He was turned out soon after at Gowran Park (2m4f, soft) and looked to be coming with a big run only to finish third behind an unexposed winner and a useful runner-up. It was another positive showing and he's only been nudged up 2lb by the assessor for it. This race looks weaker on paper and having handled soft ground last time, conditions shouldn't present a problem. Gentle Annie not underestimated Cork trainer Terence O'Brien will be hoping the journey to Fairyhouse yields some dividend with GENTLE ANNIE. His mare has shaped with some promise in two of her three racecourse outings. Her debut at Ballinrobe was over 2m6½f and she was beaten by just over 10-lengths. She was well held in a hot maiden at Listowel's Harvest Festival next time, but that form has worked out. The winner went close in Grade 3 at Down Royal on Friday and three of the beaten horses have scored since over hurdles. Gentle Annie, meanwhile, ran third in a maiden at Tramore (2m, yielding), coming clear of the remainder, and she now turns her attention to handicaps off an opening mark of 91 with rider John Shinnick taking a handy 3lb off in the saddle. There is some scope for more fluency at her obstacles, but that should come and this five-year-old looks to have a future. She could well exploit her opening handicap mark with further progress on the cards.
