Horse Racing tips: Today’s Cheat Sheet for the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown

It's day one of the Dublin Racing Festival and we've got our crack team together to preview the action.

The Cheltenham Festival is edging closer but you don’t need to wait until March to see some top quality action as we’ve got the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown this weekend.

It’s a two-day extravaganza that boasts eight Grade 1s over Saturday and Sunday.

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The Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup is the feature race on the first day of the Dublin Racing Festival with Galopin Des Champs set to return to action.

Appreciate It is also back in action in the Arkle Novice Chase at 14:30, with Willie Mullins also entering Dysart Dynamo, El Fabiolo, Saint Roi and Flame Bearer.

 

We’ve also got the Paddy Power Cheltenham Fanzone Handicap Chase at 16:10, with Gavin Cromwell’s Final Orders and Get My Drift for Mouse Morris heading the betting.

 

And a card of such gravitas calls for a punting panel to match, so we’ve enlisted Ruby Walsh, Rory Delargy, Mick Fitzgerald and Timeform to saddle up and share their top tips, unrivalled insight and best guesses for the best of Saturday’s action.

Ruby Walsh

Rory Delargy

Mick Fitzgerald

Timeform

Ruby Walsh

I’m going to forgive American Mike his defeat at Navan. He hasn’t run in a while and I’m assuming Gordon Elliott has gone back to the drawing board with him. American Mike’s bumper form is very good and with a big each-way angle.

Rory Delargy

I’m looking for a big run from Weveallbeencaught. He’s one of just a couple of English-trained runners over the weekend and such enterprise merits reward.

Mick Fitzgerald

Nigel Twiston Davies’ charge Weveallbeencaught ran very well on his first run over hurdles when finishing a 10 length third to Hermes Allen when looking very green and raw. The form of his subsequent win was boosted last weekend.  Quais De Paris is an interesting contender for Willie Mullins’ yard.

Timeform

Good Land won what looked an interesting race in very taking fashion here over the Christmas period and looks the type to go on to better things now stepping up in grade, so he gets the nod. Weveallbeencaught saw his Cheltenham form franked last weekend and looks a big threat with further progress on the cards, as does Sandor Clegane following an impressive win at Punchestown.

Ruby Walsh

Lossiemouth has the best form. She won here at Christmas and Fairyhouse before that. She’s a short price so maybe Gust Of Wind in the ‘betting without Lossiemouth’ market for value?

Rory Delargy

Gust Of Wind appeals most for each-way purposes against the fav if all eight stand their ground. Tekao makes more appeal as a handicapper and could be destined for the Boodles Hurdle rather than the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Mick Fitzgerald

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 too.

Timeform

Willie Mullins comes here mob-handed and his unbeaten filly Lossiemouth is strongly fancied to make it 4-4 on the back of her impressive C&D success. Stablemate Tekao brings considerable potential and is next on the list ahead of Gala Marceau who can make it a clean sweep for Mullins.

Ruby Walsh

Paul Townend has gone for the right one with Appreciate It and he’s my nap of the day. However, there’s also an opportunity to back Saint Roi each-way or without the favourite as he’ll be finishing strongly.

Rory Delargy

The pace will be strong, and that should bring the confirmed stamina of Banbridge into play, He  will appreciate the return to decent ground after struggling through the mud in the Drinmore Chase last time. Banbridge is an assured jumper who should gallop through the line given ability to stay further.

Mick Fitzgerald

Appreciate It has looked good in his two wins to date over fences.  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.

Timeform

Appreciate It has made an exceptional start over fences and looks more than capable of maintaining his unbeaten run in this sphere at the likely expense of his classy stablemate Dysart Dynamo. Banbridge is a player and the other Willie Mullins-trained trio have cases to be made for them.

Ruby Walsh

Galopin Des Champs has the form but is priced accordingly. Any Second Now is just 1lb behind Stattler in the rating and could run really well. He’d be my idea of a bet in the without the favourite market.

Rory Delargy

I’m not 100 per cent convinced that Galopin Des Champ will be as good at 3m as he is at shorter trips. Any chinks in his stamina will be exposed by Stattler, who doesn’t have a great deal to find on their novice form. He travelled very well at Tramore on New Year’s Day when a rather luckless second to Minella Indo.

Mick Fitzgerald

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.

Timeform

Galopin Des Champs is potentially the best chaser in training so shouldn’t have much trouble recording a fifth Grade 1 success and cementing his place at the top of the Cheltenham Gold Cup market. His progressive stablemate Stattler is the only realistic threat.

Ruby Walsh

I like one at a huge price. Gatsby Grey finished second in the Bective Stud Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown last year behind Mighty Potter but ahead of Sir Gerhard and  Dysart Dynamo. That was over 2m  but he steps up to 3m now and could make his presence felt off a mark in the high 130s.

Rory Delargy

This is just a token selection for the well-handicapped Lucky Max, who might have won at Navan last time if he made his move a little later. He looks capable of winning a good handicap hurdle from his current mark.

Mick Fitzgerald

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 the danger.

Timeform

The vote goes to Perceval Legallois, who failed to land a glove on Maxxum over this C&D at  Christmas  but he was returning from a three-month break that day and enjoys a significant pull at the weights now. Maxxum should make a bold bid to complete the hat-trick, despite shooting up the weights. If Lucky Max sees this out this 3m trip he could emerge as the main danger.

Ruby Walsh

Rebel Gold beat Dunvegan in the Dan & Joan Moore Memorial and he’s up 8lbs for it. That form is fairly solid.

Rory Delargy

Fils D’Oudairies is a tentative pick. The eight-year-old lost his confidence over fences as a novice and has largely been kept to hurdles since. He jumped fine when a close fifth on his only chase start for Gordon Elliott at Killarney, and he was an unlucky second over this trip at Listowel when last seen. He’s on a good mark if his confidence has been restored.

Mick Fitzgerald

Joseph O’Brien’s A Wave of the Sea 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. Kelly has done really well with a couple of rides recently in the JP McManus colours.

Timeform

Get My Drift goes handicapping for the first time over fences. With cheekpieces added and might be able to deny owner-mate A Wave of The Sea a hat-trick of wins in this contest. The thriving Final Orders and Gordon Elliott’s Fils d’Oudairies complete the shortlist.

Ruby Walsh

I’m a fan of Chosen Witness for the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham so have to stick with him at Leopardstown. Patrick Mullins has opted for Fact To File and I expect he’ll have improved a lot for that win.

Rory Delargy

I’ll have an each-way stab at Special Cadeau, who was conceding 11lb to the favourite when they met over Christmas, but now meets him at level weights. He won for Pam Sly at Huntingdon before joining  Willie Mullins’ yard for a hefty sum.

Mick Fitzgerald

The value could Emmet Mullins’ Feronily who’ll be ridden by Derek O’Connor and I’ll chance him each-way.

Timeform

Feronily might be the only maiden in the field, but he made a very encouraging debut in this sphere when second over C&D over Christmas, form which is good enough to win most bumpers, and the weight he receives may prove decisive. Fact To File heads a strong team for Willie Mullins, while Better Days Ahead remains an exciting prospect.

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