There’s a moment on Christmas Day when horseracing fans start to twitch.

Personally speaking, it hits me at about 5pm. Everyone’s stuffed, the wash-up is done. You’ve even been for a walk if it’s not raining and the rest of the family is dozing on the couch watching Downton Abbey – A New Era.

Someone offers you the last of the box of Roses. “No thanks,” says you, and now you see your opportunity. “Eh, I think I’ll go for a little lie down – the whole day has me wrecked.”

You slither away, taking The Irish Field and your laptop with you. There are three Irish meetings on St Stephen’s Day and eight in Britain. Tomorrow is your Christmas Day but first you have a lot of study to do and you need peace and quiet.

So let me save you a bit of time right away.

Willie Mullins is going to hit top gear over Christmas and the green and gold colours of owner J.P. McManus are going to win a load of big races.

It’s a funny thing but the racing at Leopardstown and Limerick on the 26th isn’t that great. I reckon the management know they will be packed on St Stephen’s Day anyway with once-a-year racegoers, so why waste the good races on that shower?

That suits the fanatics too – we’d rather stay at home on “Boxing Day” (sorry!) so we can follow the action at Kempton. The big race there is the King George VI Chase, famously won last year by Hewick, trained by Shark Hanlon.

Woolly hat

Once again the race looks at the mercy of the Irish raiders, headed by Spillane’s Tower. Owned by J.P. McManus, Spillane’s Tower is trained in Conna, Co Cork by Jimmy Mangan and that is reason enough to watch. Never without his woolly purple and yellow hooped cap, Jimmy is best known to the public as the trainer of 2003 Grand National winner Monty’s Pass.

There have been some lean years since when Jimmy did not have the ammunition but Spillane’s Tower has changed all that. The six-year-old won Grade 1 races at Fairyhouse and Punchestown last spring as a novice chaser and just last month he made a huge impression on his seasonal debut as a fast-finishing second to Gold Cup favourite Fact Or File at Punchestown.

That was over two and a half miles, the King George is over three and that will suit Spillane’s Tower just fine.

The warm-up act at Kempton promises to be the Christmas Hurdle clash between the Willie Mullins-trained Lossiemouth and the long-absent former champion Constitution Hill. This should be an epic encounter and, getting the 7lb mares’ allowance, you’d have to favour the race-fit Lossiemouth.

She runs in the pink silks of Rich Ricci and that colourful owner should have another big winner at Leopardstown on the 27th when Cheltenham hero Gaelic Warrior returns to action. This enigmatic performer is not a betting proposition, however, and the two big handicap chases on the same day – the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown and the Welsh National at Chepstow are also very tricky to call at this stage.

Instead let’s jump forward to the 28th when the aforementioned Fact To File is expected to have a rematch with dual Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown. This is arguably the race of the entire festive period, even if both of them are trained by that man Mullins.

Punchestown

Fact To File came out on top at Punchestown and who knows how good he could be. But around Leopardstown over three miles Galopin Des Champs is a show-stopper and I would be very reluctant to bet against him. A single jumping error could decide it either way. This is one to savour. If you are thinking of doing one day at Leopardstown, make it the 28th.

It doesn’t exactly taper off on day four either. The December Hurdle at Leopardstown has been a Willie Mullins benefit for the past 15 years. Hurricane Fly won it four times, Sharjah won it four times and State Man is going for win number three this year.

But standing in his way is Brighterdaysahead, a mare who has been compared to (whisper it) the great Dawn Run. Owned by Michael O’Leary and trained by Gordon Elliott, Brighterdaysahead inflicted a shock defeat on State Man last month and she might just do it again here.

So much to look forward to. Have a lucky Christmas.