The action continues from Leopardstown for Day 2 of the Dublin Racing Festival with four more Grade 1 races alongside plenty of Cheltenham indicators making it can’t miss television.
The feature on Day 2 is the Irish Champion Hurdle with State Man and Paul Townend going for the three-in-a-row.
BoyleSports Horse Racing Ambassador Robbie Power is back with his expert Leopardstown tips, and this time around he has got his eye on a 14/1 shot in the Dublin Chase.
What horses will rise to the occasion and make their mark ahead of Cheltenham ? Find out who Robbie is backing below plus his expert analysis ahead of one of the biggest days in the Irish racing calendar.
Dublin Racing Festival Day 2 Tips, Predictions, & Preview From Robbie Power
Leopardstown 13:10 – 2m 5 1/2f Chase
Tips, Predictions, & Preview
Ballyburn can definitely bounce back here after his unbeaten run was ended last time out around Kempton to Sir Gino . Of course he can, he's a very, very good horse.
There were a couple of Willie Mullins’ horses over the Christmas period, Ballyburn , Lossiemouth , plus one or two others there as well that just didn't perform to the level that you'd expect from those horses.
I think stepping back up in trip will definitely suit Ballyburn . He was the standout novice hurdler going to Cheltenham last year, and I think he can correct that defeat in Kempton.
I think Kempton wasn’t his track nor do I think he ran his race either, but I don't think Kempton suited him. He’s back up to two and a half miles here and I reckon he'll be very, very hard to beat.
Ballyburn to win – 8/11
Dublin Racing Festival Day 2 – Leopardstown 13:10 Odds
Horse | Odds | Trainer |
|---|---|---|
Ballyburn | 8/11 | W P Mullins |
Impaire Et Passe | 3/1 | W P Mullins |
Champ Kiely | 6/1 | W P Mullins |
Better Days Ahead | 10/1 | Gordon Elliott |
Croke Park | 12/1 | Gordon Elliott |
Prairie Dancer | 66/1 | Joseph Patrick O’Brien |
Arctic Skua | 250/1 | Vincent Laurence Halley |
Leopardstown 13:40 – 2m Hurdle
Tips, Predictions, & Preview
I think Kopek Des Bordes definitely holds the edge heading into this race. But as I said earlier, I'm waiting for a performance from a novice hurdler this season to say to me ‘Wow, that’s the one we want going to Cheltenham.’ I think this is the race that's going to hopefully give us that answer.
I'd like to see something come down to the last and pull four or five lengths clear of the rest of the field. Going on, what we've seen so far, I think Kopek Des Bordes is the one that's open to that improvement and the one that can go and do it.
Kopek Des Bordes to win – Evens
Dublin Racing Festival Day 2 – Leopardstown 13:40 Odds
Horse | Odds | Trainer |
|---|---|---|
Kopek Des Bordes | Evens | W P Mullins |
Kaid D’authie | 5/2 | W P Mullins |
Bleu De Vassy | 13/2 | Sam Ewing |
Redemption Day | 7/1 | W P Mullins |
Good And Clever | 18/1 | Warren Greatrex |
Karafon | 28/1 | W P Mullins |
Bar | 40/1 | – |
Dublin Chase Tips – Leopardstown 14:10 – 2m 1f Chase
Tips, Predictions, & Preview
We have a field littered with previous Cheltenham winners and runners for this Dublin Chase. Gaelic Warrior for me was a bit disappointing in Leopardstown at Christmas. Another one of Willie’s that was disappointing during the Christmas period.
Gaelic Warrior going left-handed around Leopardstown for me has never been his cup of tea.
Marine Nationale put up a much better performance at Christmas than I was expecting. I think he jumped better at Christmas than I've ever seen him jump. I was always very cagey about his jumping.
There's plenty of strength and depth to this race and I think there’s one horse for me that's overpriced. He beat Marine Nationale earlier in the season, he was second to Jonbon in the Tingle Creek at Sandown – there's no disgrace in that performance. I think Quilixios is a huge price each way in this race.
We can easily stick to the fancied ones all weekend and be very, very boring, but if we want to go for something with a bit of value then I like Quilixios here each way. He's got a big chance.
I still have question marks over Marine Nationale ’s jumping. I was much more impressed with him at Christmas but he needs to build on that again to be a Champion Chaser and Gaelic Warrior for me around Leopardstown, it's not for him. I’d take him on all day around Leopardstown.
Quilixios Win or E/W – 14/1
Dublin Racing Festival Day 2 – Dublin Chase Odds
Horse | Odds | Trainer |
|---|---|---|
Gaelic Warrior | 8/11 | W P Mullins |
Marine Nationale | 5/1 | Barry Connell |
El Fabiolo | 6/1 | W P Mullins |
Solness | 8/1 | Joseph Patrick O’Brien |
Quilixios | 14/1 | Henry de Bromhead |
Gentleman De Mee | 25/1 | W P Mullins |
Captain Guinness | 28/1 | Henry de Bromhead |
Senecia | 100/1 | Vincent Laurence Halley |
Irish Champion Hurdle Tips – Leopardstown 15:20 – 2m Hurdle
Tips, Predictions, & Preview
It's definitely going to be a straight shootout between Lossiemouth and State Man here. I can't see anything else in the field that's going to cause them two any problems.
I'd love to have Paul Townend’s job, but the one tough part of his job, making decisions like this. He's won a Champion Hurdle on State Man, he's won the last two Irish Champion Hurdles on him. He's obviously a very, very good horse around Leopardstown, but he was hugely disappointing behind Brighterdaysahead the last day. As I said earlier, some of Willie Mullins’ horses didn’t perform at Christmas and State Man was one of them.
Lossiemouth was another that disappointed at Christmas. I don't think she was ever going in the Christmas Hurdle in Kempton. The fact she still only finished 2-and-a-half lengths behind Constitution Hill was impressive. I still think that was a good run because I don't think she performed at her best over two miles on good ground. She just looked a bit flat to me.
Tough decision for Paul, I think he'd probably go with State Man to show loyalty to the horse and what he's done over the last number of years on him. And he's always been a huge fan of State Man. I've always heard him talk highly of him. But if I was going with my head, I'd be going with Lossiemouth to take on State Man.
Lossiemouth to win – 8/11
Dublin Racing Festival Day 2 – Irish Champion Hurdle Odds
Horse | Odds | Trainer |
|---|---|---|
Lossiemouth | 8/11 | W P Mullins |
State Man | 5/4 | W P Mullins |
Winter Fog | 20/1 | W P Mullins |
Daddy Long Legs | 40/1 | W P Mullins |
Fils D’oudairies | 80/1 | Gordon Elliott |
Dublin Racing Festival Performances Could Turn Cheltenham Novice Hurdles Antepost Markets Upside Down
There's no doubt that what happens in the novices' hurdles at the Dublin Racing Festival this weekend will have a big bearing on what happens on the Cheltenham antepost markets.
We're lucky that Willie Mullins is not afraid to pitch three or four of his horses in against each other in all these novice races. And Willie holds all the answers to them.
I think the fact that he is running such a huge number of horses against each other in the novices shows that he doesn't have a strong hand or rather doesn't know which is the best of them yet.
Willie will be hoping that something will come out this weekend in the novice hurdle division, over the two-mile and the staying distance as well, to show him something going forward for Cheltenham.
He's had a couple of horses, very impressive in the last few weeks in maiden hurdles and it could be that one of them is the supreme novice horse. Of what runs this weekend I think he'll be looking to see something come out and put a bit of distance between themselves and the rest of the field.
Cheltenham Antepost Markets
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