The latest entries for the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown this weekend including the Irish Gold Cup.
Galopin Des Champs chasing Irish Gold Cup hat-trick
Galopin Des Champs is the star name in the line up as he aims to land his third success in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup Chase at Leopardstown.
The nine-year-old has been the winner of the Grade One for the past two seasons, both times taking the race in good style en route to a subsequent victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
His route through the campaign has followed a familiar path as he was third in the John Durkan on debut and then a runaway winner of Savills Chase over the Irish Gold Cup course and distance over Christmas.
He now returns to the track, where he has been beaten only once in seven runs, and leads a field of 11 entries for the feature race on day one of the Dublin Racing Festival.
Trainer Willie Mullins has also entered Fact To File, who defeated his stablemate in the John Durkan but was second in the Savills Chase.
Reigning Grand National hero I Am Maximus is also on the list for the stable, with Grangeclare West, Embassy Gardens and Minella Cocooner entered alongside him.
Gordon Elliott is represented by Conflated, Mouse Morris has entered Gentlemansgame, Gavin Cromwell has Inothewayurthinkin and Henry de Bromhead will saddle Monty’s Star.
Tara Lee Cogan has entered Hewick for the contest, but a dry spell between now and the weekend will be essential if he is to run as soft going is not to his liking.
The 10-year-old was last seen reverting to smaller obstacles to contest the Savills Hurdle at Leopardstown late last month, where he was fifth in a field of eight on yielding going.
“He’s been entered on Saturday but he’s ground dependent as usual, so I think we’ll make a decision in the week,” said Cogan.
“He came out of his last run grand and he’s in great form, it was just the ground was too holding for him that day and that isn’t what he likes.
“I suppose we’re in the same position going into this weekend, we won’t run him if he doesn’t get his ground.
“This morning I think it’s soft, hopefully we’ll get a couple of dry days but we’ll just have to wait and see.
“If we don’t run him then we’ll wait until Cheltenham in March and hope he gets his ground there, there’s nothing else to really run him in.”
A field of six could assemble for the Grade One Goffs Irish Arkle, with the Mullins team entering two very promising novice chasers in Ile Atlantique and Majborough.
Gordon Elliott’s Firefox and Touch Me Not take them on, with Patrick Neville due to send over Here Comes Georgie and Gearoid O’Loughlin rolling the dice with Jeannot Lapin.
The Mullins-trained pair of Sainte Lucie and Lady Vega Allen are to the fore in the Triumph Hurdle betting and feature among nine entries for the Gannon’s City Recovery & Recycling Services Juvenile Hurdle, along with Gavin Cromwell’s Cheltenham contender Hello Neighbour.
Mullins also seemingly holds the key to the Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle with Final Demand and Supasundae topping his contenders in a 14-strong field.
State Man and Lossiemouth on course for Leopardstown clash
Lossiemouth and State Man look set for a mouthwatering clash at Leopardstown on Sunday, with the Willie Mullins-trained pair among six horses confirmed for the Irish Champion Hurdle.
State Man will be bidding for a third successive victory in the feature event on day two of this weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival, but returns to Foxrock on a recovery mission after finishing a lacklustre third behind the brilliant Brighterdaysahead at Leopardstown over Christmas.
There will be no rematch on Sunday after Brighterdaysahead’s trainer Gordon Elliott elected to keep his powder dry for Cheltenham, but even in her absence State Man’s task is far from straightforward, with his top-class stablemate Lossiemouth set to be in opposition.
The grey was no match for the returning Constitution Hill in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, but her planned presence this weekend will give stable jockey Paul Townend a decision to make.
Mullins has also left in Daddy Long Legs and Winter Fog, while Elliott has confirmed Fils d’Oudairies, who finished fourth behind Constitution Hill in the Unibet Hurdle at Cheltenham last Saturday.
Vincent Halley’s rank outsider Senecia completes the sextet.
Mullins is responsible for four of the nine remaining contenders for the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase, with likely favourite Gaelic Warrior joined by last year’s winner El Fabiolo, the 2023 victor Gentleman De Mee and the 2022 Irish Arkle hero Blue Lord.
The opposition is headed by Barry Connell’s stable star Marine Nationale, who was right on Gaelic Warrior’s tail last time out, while Henry de Bromhead has the Tingle Creek runner-up Quilixios and last year’s Champion Chase hero Captain Guinness in the mix.
Senecia also features in this two-mile-one-furlong Grade One, as does Joseph O’Brien’s Solness, who was a shock winner when beating Gaelic Warrior and Marine Nationale last month.
Ballyburn is the headline act among 10 entries for the the Ladbrokes Novice Chase, with Mullins also leaving in Champ Kiely, Impaire Et Passe and Ile Atlantique, while the champion trainer retains a seven-strong hand in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle. Course winners Kopek Des Bordes and Kaid d’Authie look the two major players from Closutton.
More from Sporting Life
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.