The Way To Paris At Coolagown Stud Hugh McMahon Memorial Novice Chase (Grade 3) is set to take place at Limerick on Sunday, featuring six runners and a challenging 3m½f course with 16 fences. The ground conditions are soft to heavy, which will test the stamina and jumping abilities of all the runners.

One of the most intriguing runners in the field is Darrens Hope, a very useful mare who achieved a career-best win in the Grade 2 Florida Pearl Novice at Punchestown in November. However, her form has been patchy since then, with two pulled-up finishes and some poor runs. Darrens Hope will need to bounce back and answer some serious questions if she is to be competitive in this race.

Another mare in the race, Seangoell, is rated at 87 and appears to be making up the numbers. Her best form has been at this venue, but she is unlikely to trouble the leading contenders.

Life In The Park is another runner who has had a mixed season so far. He justified favoritism on chasing debut at the Listowel festival, but ran no sort of race at Cheltenham in November. Trainer post-race explanations suggest that both trip and ground may be against him here, so he could struggle once again.

Grandero Bello is a point/maiden hurdle winner who was unlucky to unseat on his chase debut but bounced back with an emphatic win at Gowran last time out. He also finished a promising second to Thedevilscoachman on his chase debut at Galway, and he is a clear contender here.

The main threat to the field is Thedevilscoachman, who won the Boyne Hurdle last season and is a second-season novice chaser. He won a beginners’ event at Galway, relegating today’s rival Grandero Bello to third, before falling at the last in the Drinmore at Fairyhouse. He was awarded the Naas Grade 3 event eight weeks ago on the arguably harsh disqualification of Ramillies and sets a good standard for the rest of the field to follow.

This 7-year-old gelding has shown good form throughout his career, with a recent Grade 3 win at Naas setting a strong standard. With a Racing Post Rating (RPR) of 160, he has the potential to be a strong contender in today’s race at Limerick. The horse’s jockey, Denis O’Regan, has a solid record in the past 14 days, winning 20% of his races. The horse’s trainer, Noel Meade, hasn’t had any wins recently, but this horse has proven to be a consistent performer. Based on the horse’s history, form, and recent successes, this gelding is worth considering as a strong contender in the upcoming race.

THEDEVILSCOACHMAN looks a solid bet.