Check out our star columnist on his all-star team for the opening day of the Dublin Racing Festival.
Leopardstown Saturday
13:15 Final Demand
Paul (Townend) has picked this fellow in what looks a very hot renewal. We think we have a strong hand here so it can’t have been an easy decision but his race in Limerick has worked out well so it will be interesting to see, not only from racing fans’ point of view but from our own as well, where these horses stand.
13:15 Jasmin De Vaux
Going out in trip might just help his jumping, going a few miles an hour slower could be a big benefit to him. We know he has the big engine to compete at this level and I think he’s improving in the jumping department, he’s not in the Champion Hurdle league yet when it comes to his technique but he is improving steadily. If he does improve in that area, his raw ability, as we saw from the last hurdle home at Navan two starts ago, could get him home over this trip.
13:15 Joystick
His pedigree and method of galloping makes me think he’s a stayer. He was very keen on his first run back at Punchestown and we ran him over two miles next time because that was the race for him, we didn’t have much of a choice at the time. We were very happy that he won and happier with how he allowed himself to gallop and jump but on balance he’ll be a better horse over this sort of trip. He’ll have the freshness galloped out of him from the last run too so I’m hoping he can make some sort of a showing in this.
13:15 Sounds Victorius
He won right-handed around Fairyhouse and appeared to jump a little to the left. It’s not something we’ve noticed before when schooling at home and if he favours going left possibly Leopardstown will bring out more improvement. We hope it does as it might put him in the picture all being well.
13:15 Supersundae
Patrick rides him again. We feel he ran a huge race when second in the Lawlor’s Of Naas last time and we also feel there’s a lot of improvement in the horse from his first and second run if it doesn’t come too soon. We’ve always thought a fair bit of him, the extra two furlongs will be a benefit so Patrick is looking forward to this fellow.
We’ve new sponsors for the Grace Juvenile Hurdle in Gannon’s City Recovery & Recycling Services and it’s a race in which we’re well represented.
I’d imagine the eyes will be drawn to our fillies down at the bottom, the mounts of Paul Townend and Sean O’Keeffe.
13:50 Lady Vega Allen
13:50 Sainte Lucie
Paul stays with Saint Lucie who was very impressive in winning in Punchestown and he was clearly impressed however Sean got on very well with Lady Vega Allen at this track over Christmas and keeps the ride. We think she might have more scope for improvement from that run too.
13:50 Sony Bill
Danny [Mullins] rides and he ran well in the race here over Christmas, finishing a place behind Lady Vega Allen in third. He has lots of experience which is a benefit and he’s sure to be there or thereabouts.
13:50 Willy De Houelle
The mount of Brian Hayes and a horse that has disappointed us so far but hopefully Brian can try new tactics on him that might help him get into the placings.
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14:25 King Alexander
Sean rides him with Paul sitting the race out. He got 10 pounds for his win the last day which will be a fair steadier in a three-mile race like this and he carries 11st 10lb too which is a tough weight. But it will be interesting to see whether he has improved enough to carry this weight and win?
14:25 Meetingofthewaters
He gets in off 10st 2lb with Rachael Blackmore on. His chasing rating is 36 pounds higher than his hurdles one and he looks a blot on the handicap so it will be interesting to see how he gets on. For this type of prize, he would look a blot on the book but we’ll see what he can do.
The Goffs Irish Arkle is again a top-class race and we have two very strong chances.
14:55 Ile Atlantique
He’s won over two-and-a-half and two-mile-one so this trip won’t be a bother to him. I think the fast pace will suit him and both my horses in this have great chances.
14:55 Majborough
We waited for this race with him after he won at Fairyhouse on his chasing debut. We’ll know how good he is after this and he’s going well at home.
15:30 Galopin Des Champs
15:30 Fact To File
The Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup features another clash between two of our stable stars. Galopin Des Champs comes back to a track that he clearly loves and he appears to be in good form at home, but the same comments apply to Fact To File, he’s in great shape as well. It should be a great race.
15:30 Embassy Gardens
He put up a great front-running display over two-mile-five in Tramore on very testing conditions. It will be interesting to see how he handles this step up in class.
15:30 Grangeclare West
15:30 I Am Maximus
15:30 Minella Cocooner
The same comment applies to all three of these. They all deserve to take their place in the race but will need to produce career best performances if they are to win it.
Willie Mullins to train a winner @30/1 (Paddy Power)
16:05 Ha D'Or
16:05 Shanbally Kid
I think this is just a race to watch from our point of view. Shanbally Kid has to improve his jumping a good bit and needs more match practice. He’ll get that here but it’s a tough assignment for him. Ha D’Or looked like he needed the run badly last time and will need to improve hugely with this weight to carry to get involved.
16:35 Green Splendour
A course-and-distance winner on his first run for us in Ireland we’re hoping he will be much improved from that outing but this is a top-class race and we’ll see where he fits in the division in general afterwards.
16:35 Sortudo
Jody Townend rides him. He probably has a little to make up on form however he’s run two great races, winning in Tramore and then only getting edged out of it at Christmas when the pace may have been too fast and he was only reeled-in in the dying strides by a horse coming form well off the pace. He has a chance of getting in the first four.
Recent winners
We’ve had a great week, and the horses are in good form coming into the Dublin Racing Festival. Maughreen was very good when winning at Punchestown, I was very taken by her jumping for a filly having her first run against experienced horses. That augurs well for her visit to Cheltenham for the mares’ novice.
Port Joulain put it all together on the same card but he has a little to learn about things still. It wasn’t always straightforward for him but I’m sure we’ll iron out those things before his next run.
Karbau is another horse that could go a long way. He galloped right through the line when he won his maiden hurdle.
Dancing City did what he had to do at Naas. Bioluminescence is a very good mare and had to give him weight so it was a great run from both horses but we were happy with our fellow. He is a proper four-wheel drive racehorse in those conditions. He jumped and galloped and loves testing ground. He’s an ideal type for the Brown Advisory.
Charlus surprised me with how well he won. When I bought him I thought he’d be well up to the level of the race but he had a few training difficulties and missed a bit of time. Coming off the Flat over a mile and a mile and a furlong I thought he’d be way too keen and take a few runs to iron that out and learn how to race at jumping pace rather than flat pace.
But he took to it like a duck to water and that puts him in line for some of the top juvenile races with his attitude to jumping and racing. He’s nicely laidback and all he has to do now is improve as much as I hope he can.
Kawaboomga really put the experience he got at Leopardstown to good use and was very impressive at Fairyhouse. He’s a horse that’s improving nicely and puts himself in the Cheltenham novice picture. I’m very happy with his progress.
Aurora Vega really surprised me on the same card in the fact she was able to do that on the ground, I think it must have been riding a lot better than maybe the description on the day would suggest. The other fact is her mother improved with age and she looks to be cut from the same cloth.
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