Faugheen sent a 12,000+ crowd at Leopardstown into raptures on Sunday with his sensational win in the Flogas Novice Chase.

The former Champion Hurdler, now aged 12, clung on for a gutsy win, providing the highlight for many at the third running of the two-day Dublin Racing Festival.

Pulled up on his final start last season, Willie Mullins received criticism from some when electing to send Faugheen over fences for this season. However, ‘The Machine’ is now unbeaten in three starts and favourite for the Marsh Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Dublin Racing Festival crowd figures received a boost on last year, with a total attendance north of 26,000 representing an increase of over 2,000 on 2019.

Teaming up with Henry de Bromhead, Rachael Blackmore took the main plaudits on Saturday, securing a Grade 1 double on Notebook in the ERSG Arkle Novice Chase and more significantly the PCI Irish Champion Hurdle aboard Honeysuckle, who battled gamely to stay unbeaten.

The first Grade 1 of the meeting went to Latest Exhibition, who stayed on best in the Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Novice Hurdle. This was a significant win for both jockey and trainer, Bryan Cooper and Paul Nolan, who have endured a tough time of it in recent seasons.

Owned by a Wexford partnership, Latest Exhibition will be a big contender at the Cheltenham Festival now, where he will scoop a €50,000 bonus put up by sponsors Nathaniel Lacy, for Nolan’s stable staff were he to win any race there.

The highs and lows of jumps racing were never more extreme than in the case of Jack Kennedy on Sunday.

The 20-year-old was instrumental in delivering Delta Work to win the feature Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup for Gordon Elliott, but just a half hour later he broke his leg when unseated by Dallas Des Pictons.

It was a cruel blow for the Kerry jockey, his fourth leg break, and it rules him out of the Cheltenham Festival.

Elsewhere it was brilliant to see a number of smaller trainers and jockeys score wins. On Saturday, conditional jockey Kevin Brouder produced Thosedaysaregone to land a touch in the valuable Ladbrokes Hurdle and give trainer Charles Byrnes a brillaint three-in-a-row in the race.

Brouder was at it again on Sunday, this time riding the remarkable Treacysenniscorthy, who made it four wins on the bounce and secured easily his biggest success yet in the €100,000 William Fry Handicap Hurdle. The eight-year-old is trained in Waterford by Robert Widger, and will now likely head to Cheltenham for the Pertemps Final.

Later on the Sunday card 33/1 shot Glamorgan Duke gave Galway trainer Paul Gilligan and Dublin rider Conor Maxwell a big win in the Gaelic Plant Hire Leopardstown Handicap Chase.

Buyanom.com

A new online service for stallion owners and breeders has recently launched. Buyanom.com is the brainchild of breeder and bloodstock agent Luke Lillingston, consignor Ted Voute, Mike Madden and Irish representative Jerry Horan.

The website will allow stallion farms to offer nominations for sale and control the price on display. However, breeders are welcome to submit an offer in confidence.

Mare owners can search the site for stallion options, and the stallion masters can list available nominations at their advertised price, terms and conditions. For more information visit buyanom.com.