Irish racing tips: Tony Keenan preview and best bet for Leopardstown on Sunday

Irish racing tips: Sunday October 20

0.5pts e.w. double Power Under Me in 2.25 Leopardstown (1/5, 4 places) and Fleur De Chine in 3.35 Leopardstown (1/5, 4 places) at 25/1 (Sky Bet)

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The real National Hunt season – i.e. the one when there is no flat turf racing on – is edging closer but forgive me for having no strong view on today’s jumps feature, the BoyleSports JT McNamara Munster National (Limerick, 3.50).

Perceval Legallois looked a well-treated horse when finishing second at Punchestown in May but he has disappointed twice since, his earlier jumping issues resurfacing, so perhaps they will revert to forcing tactics today, while Horantzau d’Airy was the obvious eye-catcher from the Kerry National and has done little wrong over fences but his price looks about right.

Gordon Elliott does well in races like this throughout the year with horses across different price ranges and perhaps his most interesting runners are Chemical Energy and The Goffer. Neither were involved at Listowel, but Chemical Energy found the ground too soft and had run well while meeting trouble in the Galway Plate.

The Goffer was off a break and has dropped to a decent mark, this easy three miles suitable for him. All in all, however, it is an easy race to pass.

At Leopardstown, I am going to take a speculative approach and suggest a small each-way double on the form of the Concorde Stakes from Tipperary a fortnight ago.

Formerly a Group 3, that race was downgraded to Listed class in 2023, but this year’s running looked a strong contest run at a good pace and the one-two, Power Under Me and Fleur De Chine, are worth combining for their respective races today.

POWER UNDER ME won the Bahrain Turf Club Knockaire Stakes (2:25) in 2022 and is well-suited by going left-handed around a bend on soft ground, his figures under those conditions reading:1514211, and while Norwalk Havoc shaped well last time on the wrong side in the Cambridgeshire, the selection seems particularly solid in races like these.

FLEUR DE CHINE in the Thomas’s of Foxrock Jim and Kathleen Murphy Memorial Trigo Stakes (3:35) is another suited by slow ground, her record on soft or worse being 3712, the seventh coming when losing her action.

She won the Gowran Classic back in June, giving 4lbs to one now rated 96 and beating her comfortably, and was given a summer break with a view to coming back for races like this.

Her first start after that absence was in the Listowel Stakes where she finishing third to a stablemate though was the pick of Shane Foley before stepping up on that in the Concorde when things did not go her way, shuffled back early and meeting trouble at the top of the straight, the last one to get a clear run but finishing strongly into second.

She is still a little unproven at the trip, but the Gowran win over an extended nice furlongs and her pedigree suggests she should be fine.

Away from the black type races, Titanium is of some interest in the Foxrock Cup Handicap at 3.00 though his trainer (who is in better form than he has been in all season) was suggesting the big aim is in the mile premier handicap on the final day of the season at the Curragh.

He was more expensive (€80,000) than the horses Ciaran Murphy would typically buy so expectations were likely high and while his three runs thus far have been ordinary, he showed more last time off a break, racing a touch to keen in a race that has worked out well since.

Testing ground has always been his thing, and he should strip fitter now while he has also dropped eight pounds since arriving in Ireland.

The Bahrain Turf Club October Handicap (4.45) has been weakened by the withdrawal of Masoun this morning and Morse is one of the more interesting outsiders in that given his record on slow ground. He ran into a well-treated rival last time in Londonofficecallin (a winner since) and might improve for that run as it was his first in 81 days.

Preview posted at 0902 on 20/10/24

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