Impressive Arkle winner Gaelic Warrior is the 11/10 favourite with sponsors Paddy Power for Leopardstown’s Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase on December 27.
The Willie Mullins-trained six-year-old features among the entries at the latest forfeit stage for the Leopardstown Grade 1 over two miles and one furlong, and is set to have his first outing since finishing second behind stablemate Il Etait Temps at the Punchestown Festival in early-May.
The Susannah and Rich Ricci-owned Gaelic Warrior has twice run at Leopardstown twice in the past, the first occasion saw him win a Dublin Racing Festival handicap hurdle en route to finishing second to Imapaire Et Passe at Cheltenham in 2023, while his last visit to the track ended in a disappointing unseat in the Ladbrokes Novice Chase at last season’s DRF.
The 9/4 second-favourite for the Rewards Club Chase is the Gordon Elliott-trained Found A Fifty, who was runner-up to Gaelic Warrior at Cheltenham in the spring before claiming top-class honours in the Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree.
Found A Fifty has made a productive start to the current campaign, following up his comeback success at Down Royal with another Grade 2 win at Navan last month.
Owner/trainer Barry Connell put out a positive bulletin on Marine Nationale earlier this week and the 2023 Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner is in line to bid for a second success over fences. He was beaten on his seasonal return in a Grade 3 at Naas last month but is reported to have improved considerably for the outing and can be backed at 6/1 with the sponsors.
There are 11 horses left in contention, including last year's winner - the JP McManus-owned Dinoblue (Mullins) - and Banbridge (Joseph O'Brien), who is expected to take up his engagement at Kempton in the King George VI Chase instead. That pair are both priced up at 10/1 along side the Henry De Bromhead-trained Captain Guinness.
The list is completed by Gentleman De Mee, Senecia, Solness, Visionarian and Blue Lord, winner of the race in 2022. They are all 20/1 and bigger.
Paddy Power spokesperson Paul Binfield said: "Gaelic Warrior couldn’t quite match Il Etait Temps at Punchestown, but with that fellow taken out he’s going to be difficult to beat and he was just so impressive in the Arkle when he literally floated over his fences and destroyed a top field."
Elsewhere on next Friday's Leopardstown card, Salvator Mundi is the star name among 14 entries for the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle.
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The Mullins-trained, second-season novice made an incredible start to the season when winning a Tipperary maiden by 62 lengths back in May (replay above) and he looks set to return straight back to the top table having made his debut for the champion trainer when sixth to Majborough in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Mullins has also left in Ballygunner Castle, Gaucher, Karafon, Karniquet, Plontier and Sea Of Sands, while Gordon Elliott is responsible for Bleu De Vassy, Romeo Coolio, The Yellow Clay and Casheldale Lad.
There are only three others still in the shake-up for the two-mile contest, namely Court Of Appeal (Noel Hynds), Eastern Legend (Jim Bolger) and Mr Rango (John Harney).
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