How many Cheltenham Festival winners did we see at the Dublin Racing Festival?

Saturday

Grade 1 Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Novice Hurdle

• GOOD LAND – 9/2 for the Ballymore
• SANDOR CLEGANE & ABSOLUTE NOTIONS – 10/1 & 12/1 for the Albert Bartlett

This didn’t look the strongest of Grade 1s beforehand and with British raider Weveallbeencaught bombing out and the Willie Mullins pair of Grangeclare West and Quais De Paris disappointing, the form has to be treated with caution.

However, Barry Connell’s GOOD LAND did very little wrong, racing a tad freely in the early stages but he had too many gears for these and had enough in the tank to repel the closer, ABSOLUTE NOTIONS.

Dropping slightly in trip for the Ballymore looks the right move for the winner and he could well go there as the Irish horse with the best form so he’s not to be underestimated.

Absolute Notions improved for the step up in trip and he looks likely to appreciate another couple of furlongs, as well, so he’s a contender for the Albert Bartlett while Paul Nolan is not giving up on SANDOR CLEGANE who would probably benefit if there were to be a wet week at Cheltenham.

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Grade 1 Donohue Marquees Spring Juvenile Hurdle

• LOSSIEMOUTH & GALA MARCEAU – 15/8 & 5/1 for the Triumph
• TEKAO – 6/1 for the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

The main talking point here was the shock defeat of 1/3 favourite LOSSIEMOUTH who lost her unbeaten record thanks in part to an incident with ownermate Jourdefete who hampered her at a crucial point in the race.

Paul Townend lost a couple of lengths as he was shuffled to the back of the field and then she was barged out wide as she made up the ground through the field. Plain sailing it wasn’t, and try as she might she couldn’t reel in stablemate GALA MARCEAU who enjoyed a much smoother trip towards the front of the pack under Danny Mullins.

It’s not hard to envisage those places being reversed at the Festival, but Lossiemouth’s Triumph claims undoubtedly took a knock giving a glimmer of hope to the British-trained juveniles. More likely, though, is that another stablemate, the absent Blood Destiny, comes even more into the Triumph reckoning.

The two mares pulled miles clear, but Mullins had the third home, as well, TEKAO, who was 12-and-a-half lengths behind the winner, and he’s now favourite for the Fred Winter given he now qualifies for handicaps after this third run of the season.

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Grade 1 Goffs Irish Arkle Novice Chase

• EL FABIOLO – 9/4 for the Sporting Life Arkle
• BANBRIDGE & APPRECIATE IT – 5/1 & 6/1 for the Turners

Willie Mullins was always going to have four losers in this race whatever happened including a trio of well-fancied horses for the Sporting Life Arkle, but in the process he found an outstanding candidate for that race in EL FABIOLO.

Really impressive on his chasing debut at Fairyhouse, the one niggle was fencing inexperience and the likelihood of throwing in a mistake at this level, but he coped well with his one major error four out and a good leap at the last helped him on the way to a 10-length win.

Beaten a neck by Jonbon in a Grade 1 novice hurdle at Aintree, that rivalry is all set to be reignited in the Sporting Life Arkle and with the pair looking to have similar engines it could come down to who jumps best on the day.

He’s the obvious Arkle candidate from Closutton now, with APPRECIATE IT running okay but seemingly outpaced and going up in trip for the Turners could be on his agenda. Ditto that train of thought for Joseph O’Brien’s BANBRIDGE, who didn’t jump with his usual fluency but motored home for second from an unpromising position.

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Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup

• GALOPIN DES CHAMPS & STATTLER – 7/4 and 8/1 for the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup

GALOPIN DES CHAMPS continues to do little wrong as he gallops towards his day of destiny and for all that he looked in trouble for the briefest of moments in the Irish Gold Cup, he was strong at the finish running out an eight-length winner.

He looks to have all the tools to win the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup and stamina does not look an issue after this, with the one slight doubt being that he might be vulnerable if the race turned into a really attritional weather-levelling grind.

In that scenario Mullins has able back-up in STATTLER, who was outpaced but finished with a flourish himself to achieve second. He wouldn’t have the class of Galopin Des Champs but he’s all stamina and sometimes that is the main thing you need in a Cheltenham Gold Cup.

It’s Galopin Des Champs, though, that heads to the Gold Cup with the most outstanding claims.

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Grade 2 Oliver Brady Memorial Future Stars Flat Race

• A DREAM TO SHARE & FACT TO FILE – 8/1 and 14/1 for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper

This race is usually a great pointer to the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham and with A DREAM TO SHARE and FACT TO FILE pulling over seven lengths clear of the third it looks to have found a couple of likely candidates once again.

John Kiely’s A Dream To Share gave 3lb to the second and he moved through the race smoothly, outpacing Fact To File who found plenty for pressure and stayed on well only to find one too good.

Patrick Mullins, rider of the second, felt a better gallop and easier ground could help him reverse the form if the pair were to meet again next month:

“We didn’t really go fast enough, he said. “It turned into a little bit of a sprint which suited the Flat horse. I wouldn’t mind taking the winner on again in the Champion Bumper on maybe slower ground."

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Cheltenham Festival winners who had their last run at the DRF

• 2018 – 7 winners
• 2019 – 2 winners
• 2020 – 3 winners
• 2021 – 10 winners
• 2022 – 5 winners
• 2023 - ???

Sunday

Grade 1 Ladbrokes Novice Chase

• MIGHTY POTTER – 13/8 for the Turners Novices’ Chase

MIGHTY POTTER is well used to seeing off Willie Mullins-trained opposition. He did it at Leopardstown and Punchestown when winning Grade 1 novice hurdles, he did it at Fairyhouse when landing the Drinmore.

And he had to do it in the Ladbrokes Novice Chase, with all five of his rivals hailing from Closutton. No team tactics were in evidence here though, with National Hunt Chase favourite Gaillard Du Mesnil giving Mighty Potter an easy tow into the race, Davy Russell happy to sit on his shoulder until it was time to go.

The six-year-old jumped superbly and showed his field a clean set of hooves to win by eight-and-a-half lengths, slightly hanging after the last but with plenty in hand of the Mullins mob.

A young horse with four Grade 1s in his back pocket already, he looks the real deal and is an understandably short price for the Turners at Cheltenham.

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Grade 1 Ladbrokes Dublin Chase

• GENTLEMAN DE MEE & BLUE LORD – Both 10/1 for the Queen Mother Champion Chase

A turn up in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase as 1/4 favourite BLUE LORD was beaten by stablemate GENTLEMAN DE MEE who bounced back to form after a previously trying season in style.

On his Aintree form as a novice, where he beat Arkle winner Edwardstone by four-and-a-half lengths, this was no surprise, but he was sent off 15/2 after three poor displays this campaign.

He unseated Mark Walsh at Naas, was beaten over 16 lengths by Edwardstone in the Tingle Creek and then more mistakes hampered him when he was 41 lengths behind Blue Lord in the Grade 1 here at Christmas – hence the price discrepancy.

Walsh, taken to hospital after a nasty fall in the first, was absent meaning a spare Grade 1 ride for that man Danny Mullins, who got Gentleman De Mee jumping out in front like no other jockey had this season.

Whether he can do it again at Cheltenham is another question given his patchy overall record, while Blue Lord might be worth another chance as he didn’t jump as well off this pace but could benefit from a proper gallop in the Champion Chase.

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Grade 1 Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle

• STATE MAN – 10/3 for the Champion Hurdle

This was class from STATE MAN, who rubber-stamped his status as the one most likely to upset Constitution Hill in the Unibet Champion Hurdle.

Three-time winner Honeysuckle was punted just before the race and was sent off 11/8, and she ran well, but State Man was too quick, too young, too good, and a spring-heeled leap at the last sealed matters before he was pushed out for a near five-length success.

Constitution Hill will top the ratings heading into Cheltenham and he remains quite obviously the one to beat, but in State Man he has not only a rival who could push his mark even higher, but one who could give him a real race if he’s even a smidgen off the top of his game.

Willie Mullins’ horse continues to improve, his hurdling is now slick and quick, and he was far too good for the triple Irish Champion on Sunday giving her the 7lb. He’s emerged as the biggest threat to Constitution Hill by a long way.

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Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle

• IL ETAIT TEMPS – 6/1 for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

What to make of the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle? High Definition’s lairy jumping was ruthlessly exposed early on, while Facile Vega stopped quickly and was pulled up after making the running. That wasn’t the real Facile Vega, but what now?

Even getting him to Cheltenham seems odds-against after this, but Mullins still won the race, of course he did, with IL ETAIT TEMPS, who was put in his place by Facile Vega last time.

Danny Mullins, a man who has won three Grade 1s against the odds this weekend, didn’t move a muscle as he swept by the faltering favourite and he stormed clear to win by nine-and-a-half lengths.

The Supreme slashing was swift and inevitable, but after what happened to the front two in the market for this race what he actually achieved is likely much less impressive than the title and trophy suggest.

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*Prices a guide – best available on Oddschecker at 1700GMT on 05/02/2023

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