RONAN GROOME: Day 2 of the Dublin Racing Festival – previews and tips

What a day it was at Leopardstown yesterday. A boisterous crowd provided the base for a superb atmosphere, which was accelerated by some superb performances on the track, highlighted of course by the Dublin darling himself Galopin Des Champs.

Handled beautifully from the front again by Paul Townend, the dual Gold Cup champion was sublime, and hit a pitch only legends can hit at Leopardstown. Moreover, the reception he received on returning to the winner’s enclosure was along the same lines as what Brian Fenton or Brian O’Driscoll might have hoped for after a brilliant sporting performance in the capital. 

The nine-year-old is now odds-on for a hat-trick of Gold Cup wins next month and it’s hard to argue with that assessment. It’s also hard to argue now with the hype Final Demand has generated. He is just 3/1 now for an Albert Bartlett after a bloodless win in the opener, while Majborough has set up the Arkle we wanted with an impressive show in the Irish Arkle, though his jumping, and indeed the horses in behind him, will likely be held against him when assessed for his chances taking on Sir Gino.

It was excellent to see Gavin Cromwell gain a well deserved first Grade 1 in four years with Hello Neighbour, a surprising statistic when you take into account the Meath man’s consistent performance in the same time frame. Hello Neighbour is now 5/1 for the Triumph, in behind Lulumba and East India Dock.

Enough about yesterday and more about today. This looks a better betting card to my eyes, with three tasty handicaps to get stuck into, for all that the 2m handicap hurdle looks like a real minefield.

12.40 Leopardstown – British raider can go close

A lot has been made of British participation on both sides of the white rails at this meeting. You’d like to think that those who have made the journey over so far will be declaring it a successful trip already and Harry Derham could well be saying the same after this opening 2m2f mares handicap hurdle, where he runs Queen Gamble. 

This seven-year-old was always seen as a mare of real potential in her bumper days when trained by Oliver Sherwood and while seen sparingly since that first season and since joining Derham, when she has been seen, she has looked really effective over hurdles. She won her first two starts for Derham last season but missed the rest of the campaign after Christmas, only returning at Newbury for the Gerry Fielden in November. She put up an excellent effort to finish third to Navajo Indy there, boxing on admirably late on and that form has been bolstered by both the winner and the fourth Salver, who both hit the frame in the big handicap hurdle on Windsor’s Winter Millions card a fortnight ago. In the context of this mares’ handicap hurdle, that looks really strong form and it seems highly likely that Derham would have spotted this likely scenario and target trained her accordingly. 

Now, there is a lightly raced Willie Mullins-trained mare in Straight Home here that clearly has huge upside, but as of yet her price has held up in the market and she is coming from a much lower base.

Of the remainder, Media Naranja really catches the eye as an each-way option at anything above 20/1 also. She was fourth here last year off just 1lb lower, and while she disappointed on her latest start at Cheltenham, she has really strong handicap hurdle form against the geldings courtesy of her third to Washington in a valuable handicap hurdle at Fairyhouse’s big meeting in November. A big field and strong pace seems to suit her and it’s easy to see her running well again.

1.10 Leopardstown – Ballyburn back?

This looks a superb renewal, evidenced by the market somewhat disregarding the Gordon Elliott pair Croke Park and Better Days Ahead, first and second in the 3m Grade 1 here at Christmas, by having the Willie Mullins trio of Ballyburn, Impaire Et Passe and even Champ Kiely, with just a beginners chase win to his name over fences, ahead of them.

Of course all the attention is on Ballyburn after his fallibility came on show at Kempton, or is it a case of that test combined with the brilliance of Sir Gino allowing us to excuse him completely? I’d lean that way but I’m happy to watch him do it and not dubious enough to back something against him. The 2m5f obviously will allow him more time at his fences and a return to this meeting, where he laid down his Cheltenham marker last season, is clearly a positive as well.

1.40 Leopardstown – can Kopek lay down Supreme marker?

The vibes from the Mullins camp is that Kopek Des Bordes should at the very least be able to put in a better jumping performance here after extensive schooling since his maiden hurdle win over course and distance at Christmas. At times that was a tough watch, with the five-year-old showing little regard for the obstacles in front of him, yet he was still able to quicken up and hit the line hard.

Again, for all that this is intriguing, it just doesn’t set up as a nice betting heat with Willie running five others in the race. A couple of them who disappointed at Christmas, in particular Karniquet, could well outrun their odds, but this is another leave for me.

2.10 Leopardstown – Quilixios a solid each-way option

I’ve had a small bet on Quilixios each-way here, with any price in double figures appealing. A lot has been made about the form of Henry de Bromhead’s horses but although the Waterford trainer has had just one winner from his last 25 runners, eight have hit the frame, and Monty’s Star arguably ran right up to form in the Irish Gold Cup yesterday. I think the stable form factor might be a little overplayed here with regard to Quilixios, whose second to Jonbon in the Tingle Creek, though admittedly well held, puts him into the equation here. He had JPR One and Solness in behind him at Sandown, the latter beating Gaelic Warrior here at Christmas, and prior to that run, he was much too good for Marine Nationale at Naas, Barry Connell’s gelding also performing well when third here at Christmas. That both those runners are shorter in the betting than Quilixios doesn’t add up to me.

Gaelic Warrior was well below his best on what was his seasonal debut and with a run under his belt, he has the potential to win handy here, but he now has two flat efforts in a row after he was turned over by stablemate Il Etait Temps at Punchestown, and on that note, he has a little bit to prove now.

2.45 Leopardstown – well-handicapped Park can go well

Backtonormal could be a very well handicapped chaser here on his handicap debut, coming back up in trip after he made late headway behind Jeannot Lapin in a beginners chase here at Christmas and with Conor Stone-Walsh in the saddle. He’s 7/2 though, and even that looks skinny in such a competitive affair.

I like both Pinkerton and Monbeg Park, with preference for the latter at 9/1 or thereabouts. Off a mark of 138, he looks well handicapped based off the horses he has been running close to, Jordans and Gorgeous Tom, who have both subsequently held their own in Grade 1 novice contests. He was winning during the summer, so will have no problems with yielding ground at Leopardstown and he also has a crack conditional jockey on board in Tiernan Power-Roche, who can take off 5lbs. 

I wouldn’t put anyone off Pinkerton, without suggesting to bet him. He is 11lbs higher than his Galway Plate win but showed he is right up to competing off his current assessment when third in the Paddy Power Chase here, despite getting hampered early in that contest. That form has since worked out well via Nick Rockett and others in the Thyestes, so Noel Meade’s gelding looks a solid option.

3.20 Leopardstown – A match race for the ages

This is as an intriguing a match race as you’re going to get here with stablemates State Man and Lossiemouth taking each other on. A large part of the intrigue is the decision of Paul Townend to ride the former, but the market still deciding the latter should be favourite, with Danny Mullins the net benefactor. It was a huge call for the champion jockey, as for all the Champion Hurdle winner has been a model of consistency for him, so far this year he has yet to deliver and was worryingly well beaten by Brighterdaysahead here at Christmas.

Lossiemouth was beaten at Christmas as well, but you’d take a lot more positives from her defeat in behind Constitution Hill with Willie Mullins attesting that he believed she was never travelling from as early as the first hurdle. Leopardstown presents less of a speed test and that ought to suit her. If Townend was on her, she’d arguably be 4/9, but she is 4/5 here without that vote of confidence. The race should set up for a cat and mouse scenario in the straight and then the games will begin.

3.50 Leopardstown – Storm incoming at Leopardstown

It’s near impossible to do this race justice in less than 200 words but suffice to say, this 2m handicap hurdle, which used to have it’s own day pre-Dublin Racing Festival amalgamation looks as competitive as ever. Emmet Mullins and Charles Byrnes train the first and second favourites here for J.P. McManus and Paul Byrne respectively which leads you to that playing checkers-against-chess scenario, but it so happens that one of my notebook horses has shown up for this, and God forbid I’d let that go unbacked.

Stormbreaker’s second to Farmer’s Lodge on New Year’s Eve at Punchestown is well worth a second look if you have time this morning. He made a bad error at the sixth hurdle in that 2m3f contest, so bad Paul Townend sat up on him and looked down for at least five to six strides to make sure his mount was okay. He was okay but the net result was that he ended up at the rear of the field with all 11 rivals ahead of him. As it transpired, the winner, a progressive sort himself, benefitted from racing in a prominent position throughout this race. He was able to kick off the turn and had the race for keeping after the last. Stormbreaker had to come right around the field and use up lots of fuel just to get as close as he did to him in second. The closing sectionals confirm this, with Willie Mullins’s horse fastest of the field in the third and second last furlongs, before tiring in the last furlong. His overall finishing speed percentage of 106% confirms he had to quicken up from a very unpromising position. I just think it was an effort that deserved marking up and he is interesting now.

He only has five starts over hurdles to his name, so has plenty of scope to improve, and any further drying in the ground will aid him as he has plenty of form on decent ground on the flat when trained by James Fanshawe. He is best priced 14/1 this morning and that looks worth a small interest.