The Irish horse racing broadcaster offers up his selections for Saturday’s action at Leopardstown, including a Willie Mullins horse in the opening race.
That man Willie Mullins looks set to dominate the Dublin Racing Festival once again – he is just 7/2 to repeat last year’s clean sweep of the eight Grade 1 events over the weekend, and with the likes of Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead keeping many of their big guns at home it’s easy to see why.
Round three of Galopin Des Champs v Fact To File in the Irish Gold Cup is the day one highlight and the majority view is that the former will confirm his superiority over course and distance at the Christmas Festival, where the Turley family’s wonderful chaser was able to boss proceedings from a very early stage.
My suspicion is that there is very little between the two horses ability-wise, but with Fact To File likely to be ridden ‘cold’ after racing a touch keenly last time it’s hard to see a different outcome here.
Mullins can once again get off to the perfect start in the Nathaniel Lacy and Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle, courtesy of Naas Grade 1 runner-up SUPERSUNDAE 5/1 . Well-touted stable-mate Final Demand heads the market here but, while he was undoubtedly impressive at Limerick in a race that is working out well, preference is nevertheless for Patrick Mullins’ mount after his promising effort against The Yellow Clay.
Today’s extra yardage is admittedly a slight concern given he raced freely there, but conditions shouldn’t be as testing today and hopefully the fitting of a hood for the first time will help him to channel his energies more efficiently.
Meetingofthewaters is a red-hot favourite for the Race and Stay at Leopardstown Handicap Hurdle at 14:25 and could easily make a mockery of a mark of 112 on his first hurdle start for Mullins. The other McManus runner Perceval Legallois, who landed this in 2023 and is himself a Paddy Power Chase winner, is likewise well handicapped in this discipline but with plenty of dead wood in a big field an each-way bet on GAOTH CHUIL 12/1 makes some appeal.
Ted Walsh’s mare was only narrowly denied in this twelve months ago and Josh Williamson’s valuable 7lb claim means she is effectively competing off just 2lb higher now. At the very least, she ought to get a lot closer to the two that beat her at Navan on her latest start on this more suitable track.
MIDNIGHT IT IS 100/30 has the look of a solid favourite in the Ryanair handicap chase at 16:05. Gavin Cromwell’s six year-old came up a little short in his hat-trick bid in a similar event at Fairyhouse three weeks ago but he was possibly a little unlucky there, apparently finishing with running left after being set a fair bit to do. He has only gone up 1lb as a result and the two stable-companions who beat him there are absent on this occasion.
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