Kevin Blake's Big Race Verdict: Farren can take the Glory in Grade 1 Brave Inca

• Brave Inca Hurdle gets Kev's Big Race Verdict treatment

• Champion trainer Mullins has five of the 10 runnres

• Farren fancied to take the Glory for Gordon Elliott

The second day of the Dublin Racing Festival on Sunday is arguably even better than the first and it promises to be both very exciting in the moment and informative for the future.

One division of horses that have yet to really gain definition are the two-mile novice hurdlers, but the Tattersalls Ireland 50th Derby Sale Novice Hurdle (Brave Inca) at 13:40 promises to clear up the picture for us.

Again, Willie Mullins has a strong hand with five of the 10 runners, but there is depth amongst his rivals and he isn't a certainty to take home the prize by any means.

From a pace perspective, there are only bits and pieces of potential pace on display on paper and anything more than an average pace is far from guaranteed.

Boher Road has helped force the pace in his last two starts, including a competitive handicap at Listowel last time, and he looks the likeliest leader as he steps up in class. Farren Glory was prominent throughout on his latest outing in Grade 1 company at Aintree.

Jit Langy made most to a win a maiden hurdle when last seen back in May, but is perhaps unlikely to be as prominent given he takes a huge step up in class on his return from an absence.

Much tougher task for Ballyburn

The Willie Mullins contingent is the obvious starting point and there were no surprises in Paul Townend's decision to ride Ballyburn.

The six-year-old was considered one of the better bumper horses last season despite not running in a Grade 1 and racing notably freely in both his starts. As a result, he was prominent in the ante-post lists for the top novice hurdles this season.

His start over hurdles wasn't a completely smooth one, as he bumped into the race-fit Firefox who lowered his colours with authority. However, his jumping improved as the race went and there was plenty of cause to hope that he would soon leave that defeat behind him.

He was upped to two-and-a-half miles at Leopardstown for his second start over hurdles and that step up in trip wasn't without risk given his free-going tendencies over shorter distances. He duly ran out the wide-margin winner, though he again raced quite freely and impressed with the gears he showed to deliver his challenge.

It isn't a surprise that his connections have opted to drop him back in trip for his step up in class and while that should be a help to him, whether he is entitled to be as short a price as he is against Graded winners with stronger form in the book is very much open to question.

Surprising drop down in trip for Slade Steel

One of those Graded race winners is the Henry De Bromhead-trained Slade Steel.

The six-year-old has form with Ballyburn having finished third to him in a bumper at the Punchestown Festival, but has already proven to be a better hurdler this season.

The comfortable winner of a maiden hurdle at Naas, he successfully stepped up in trip and class to win a Grade 2 novice hurdle at Navan in December. The decision to drop back in trip is something of a surprise, but he should be able to cope with it.

One concern is that he has a notably low and somewhat chancy jumping style. It hasn't come against him yet, but such a style is only a minor misjudgement away from a very bad mistake or fall.

Glory awaits for classy Gordon Elliott runner

The other Graded winner in the field is the Gordon Elliott-trained Farren Glory who in slightly different circumstances might well be a two-time Grade 1-winning novice hurdler at this point.

The seven-year-old overcame a troubled passage to win the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse and was then sent over to Aintree to contest the Formby Novices' Hurdle later that month. He hit the front travelling very well indeed approaching the penultimate hurdle and looked highly likely to win only to take a heavy fall at that flight.

While neither of the Grade 1s that he contested were tip-top contests, he stamped himself as a smart performer in winning them and there is reason to believe that he can do even better in a stronger race such as this.

Conditions will suit and he looks a very fair alternative to Ballyburn at the available prices.

Now read Tony Calvin's Sunday ITV Racing tips here.

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