Bettingpro looks back at the feast of high-class racing provided by Leopardstown's weekend fixtures.

It was Champion Hurdle day at Leopardstown last weekend and Solwhit cemented his position at the head of the market for the English version with one of his most impressive performances to date, as he powered away to beat the staying-on Donnas Palm by four and a half lengths, with Sublimity weakening into third and the disappointing British raider Celestial Halo back in fourth.

The 2010 Irish Champion Hurdle:

The weekend action also included one of Ireland's most prestigious handicaps, now known as the MCR Hurdle (formerly the Pierse), and in a typically competitive renewal it was John Mulhern's Puyol who fought off a trio of challengers from the Willie Mullins stable to prevail by half a length. The winner, who went into the race a maiden after eight starts, gave a boost to the form of leading novice hurdler Dunguib, who has been given an entry in the Champion Hurdle and defeated Puyol with considerable ease at Punchestown in November.

If Dunguib goes the conventional route and sticks to the Supreme Novices' Hurdle he looks to have a live danger on his hands in the shape of Rite of Passage, who was one of a trio of impressive winners at Leopardstown over the weekend for Dermot Weld and owner Dr Lambe. Last seen giving weight and a comprehensive beating to Donnas Palm in the Leopardstown November Handicap on the Flat, Rite of Passage has over ten lengths to make up on Dunguib from their meeting in the Champion Bumper last season but looks to have improved since then. His three-length defeat of Grey Soldier in a maiden was a most promising start over hurdles, and he did it in a time which compared very favourably with the Champion Hurdle just over ninety minutes later.

Other graded contests last weekend included a strong novice chase over twenty one furlongs, in which Roberto Goldback proved a cut above a clutch of useful rivals, travelling and jumping fluently en-route to a comfortable six-length defeat of Apt Approach. The winner may struggle to find a suitable opportunity at Cheltenham, with the Arkle probably too sharp a test and the RSA looking a particularly strong renewal, but he'd be very much one to consider for something like the Powers Gold Cup at Fairyhouse later in the spring.

The Irish version of the Arkle proved an unsatisfactory affair, with Zaarito falling early as Sports Line, Take The Breeze and Major Finnegan forced a strong pace. That trio seemed to pay for their early exertion in the straight and An Cathaoir Mor was able to stay on from a long way back under a well-judged ride to beat Sports Line by a length and a quarter. It looked a slightly substandard renewal and none of the runners were cut to less than 12/1 for the Cheltenham version, winning trainer Henry de Bromhead looking to have a stronger candidate in Sizing Europe. If there was one to take out the race it was probably the runner-up, who jumped well and pulled twenty lengths clear of his fellow pacesetters.

Follow this link to Betfair to see the antepost markets for the 2010 Cheltenham Festival.