Mick Fitzgerald’s Leopardstown Tips
13:20 – Weveallbeencaught
13:55 – Lossiemouth
14:30 – El Fabiolo
15:05 – Galopin Des Champs
15:40 – Maxxum
16:10 – A Wave of the Sea
16:40 – Feronily (each-way)
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
There’s two great days to come with the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown with a host of Grade One contest and some very competitive handicaps with huge prize money on offer.
Paddy’s the main sponsor on day one that feature the Paddy Power Gold Cup where the current ante-post Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs faces his stiffest task to date.
Let’s hope we can bag a few winners.
13:20 – Weveallbeencaught
The form got a real boost last weekend with Rock My Way winning the novice hurdle at Cheltenham Trials Day. Nigel Twiston Davies’ charge Weveallbeencaught ran very well on his first run over hurdles when finishing a ten length third to Hermes Allen when looking very green and raw.
Quais De Paris is an interesting contender for Willie Mullins’ yard. He won a maiden hurdle at Tramore over two miles at Christmas and is the pick of the Mullins’ pair choice of stable jockey Paul Townend, He has the score to improve.
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13:55 – Lossiemouth
Trainer Willie Mullins looks has a bit of a stranglehold on the big races, emphasised by him having six of the eight runners in this Grade One contest for juveniles. It’s very hard to get away from Lossiemouth who has won a Grade 3 and Grade 2 contest already and now steps into Grade 1 company. She gets the 7lbs fillies allowance and can confirm her place at the head of the Triumph Hurdle betting.
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14:30 – El Fabiolo
Willie Mullins holds all the aces again and while I’ve for one of his five runners – it’s not the ones that head the market. Appreciate It has looked good in his two wins to date over fences and is very good as he showed when running away with the Supreme Novices Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival two years ago.
However, I have been really impressed with stablemate El Fabiolo and he was a little unlucky when just chinned by current Arkle Chase favourite Jonbon at Aintree last season in a novice hurdle. He won his beginners chase well at Fairyhouse and could be a bit of value in this contest.
15:05 – Galopin Des Champs
I have always been very impressed with how Galopin Des Champs handles himself. I love the way he jumps and he was so unlucky at Cheltenham last season when falling at the last with the race won. It will be interesting to see how will they ride. He’s at his best when using his big stride out in front and attacking the fences. It will be up to Paul Townend to decide when to move forward.
15:40 – Maxxum
It’s astonishing to think that Maxxum has been raised 35lbs since winning at Navan earlier this season. He went up 18lbs for his win here at Christmas and his trainer Gordon Elliott is using the talented and in-form claimer Cian Quirke to take 7lbs off his back to help negate that hike. It is hard to look past him.
Perceval Legallois is definitely on the radar. He has qualified for the Pertemps Final at the Festival but will need a bump in the weights to be guaranteed a run in it. He rates the danger and is better than he showed last time when a 25 length fourth to Maxxum at Christmas after a long break.
16:10 – A Wave of the Sea
Joseph O’Brien’s runner loves this contest and has won it for the past two seasons. Aidan Kelly is one of a few talented claimers riding in Ireland at the moment and takes 7lbs off the joint top-weight’s back. That’s not an issue as A Wave of the Sea has been ridden by claimers in his other two victories in this race and Aidan Kelly has done really well with a couple of rides recently in the JP McManus colours.
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16:40 – Feronily (each-way)
Willie Mullins and his son Patrick has farmed this race in four of the past five seasons with some super performers down the years. Facile Vega won it last year while Kilcruit and Appreciate It won it before him. It’s interesting that the JP McManus owned runner Fact to File is the choice of Patrick now and he looked good in winning at the track when well-backed at the Christmas meeting.
The only concern is he looked a real ‘stayer’ that day and the ground might not be soft enough for him. Willie’s brother Tom Mullins trains Fascile Mode who also looked good when winning on debut here at Christmas when a 16/1 chance. The value could Emmet Mullins’ Feronily who’ll be ridden by Derek O’Connor and I’ll chance him each-way.
Mick Fitzgerald’s Leopardstown Tips
13:20 – Weveallbeencaught
13:55 – Lossiemouth
14:30 – El Fabiolo
15:05 – Galopin Des Champs
15:40 – Maxxum
16:10 – A Wave of the Sea
16:40 – Feronily (each-way)
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
PP NEWS IS YOUR HOME OF RACING TIPS
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