2022 Leopardstown DRF Sunday Tips – DS
2022 Leopardstown DRF Sunday Preview
Usually, I give a quick debrief on all our bets, winners and losers. However, I think today’s runners can all be summed up with two simple words…absolutely brutal. Confidence is at rock bottom now but tomorrow is another day. I am hoping that our dreadful run comes to a halt, check out our 2022 Leopardstown DRF Sunday preview and tips below.
12.45 – Mares’ Handicap Hurdle (Grade B)
Banntown Girl may be a maiden over hurdles after three goes but Stephen Carey’s mare may well be nicely treated on her handicap debut. The assessor has handed her a rating of 115 after she finished 2nd in a couple of mares’ maidens and 3rd in a Mares’ Listed Novice. Her hurdling debut came at Fairyhouse (19.5f gd/yld) where she went down by 0.75L to Motown Maggie, to whom she was conceding 6lbs.
On her next start she finished 5L behind Party Central in a listed heat at Punchestown off levels (19.5f yld). She is 6lbs better off with that rival today and that should enable her to at least close the gap. Her last run at Fairyhouse was a bit disappointing when she was a beaten 6/4 favourite. Maybe she just had an off day and if she can rediscover the form she showed on her first two starts, she should be competitive.
This daughter of Stowaway is a sister to Blackbow so she is certainly bred to be better than 115. Her sole win came in a bumper on soft at Roscommon so the ground should be fine for her and Danny Mullins is riding out of his skin. At odds of 14/1, Banntown Girl is the each way pick.
2022 Leopardstown DRF Sunday Tips: Banntown Girl e/w @ 14/1 NB (5 Places)
1.20 – Novice Chase (Grade 1)
L’Homme Presse laid down a big marker for the 20f Novice Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday. Now, all eyes will be on Galopin Des Champs as he bids to back up his sensational performance here over Christmas. The way he jumped that day was spectacular and he looked a machine. The third home from that race won next time out and he could only get to within 38L of the Mullins horse. Galopin is already a Grade 1 winner over hurdles too and if he wins this as easily, he’ll be a very short price for the Festival in March.
However, I can’t abandon Master McShee after the favour he did us at Limerick. He is trained in Waterford by Paddy Corkery and he landed a G1 by a short head last time, beating Farouk D’Alene. He only got up in the shadow of the post in that 19.5f heat and on that evidence, this 21.5f trip should suit him even better.
Master McShee is already a course winner over hurdles (16f sft). While he ran badly in a G1 at this meeting last year, he burst a blood vessel so he had a valid excuse. Ian Power knows him inside out and he’ll be happy to let Galopin get on with things and come late with his challenge. Fury Road and Capodanno are the others to note in a competitive race. However, at 11/1, hopefully Master McShee can gain another fairytale win.
2022 Leopardstown DRF Sunday Tips: Master McShee e/w @ 11/1
1.50 – Dublin Chase (Grade 1)
Just the five go to post for this 17f Grade 1 and Chacun Pour Soi is on a retrieval mission. He will be looking to turn around a 34L deficit with Greaneteen from their Sandown meeting. Chacun finished 0.5L ahead of the English challenger in last year’s Champion Chase and that is probably a more accurate reflection of how closely these two horses are matched. The big advantage for the Mullins and Ricci horse today is the venue. This is Chacun’s home track and only one horse has managed to beat him in four Grade 1s, A Plus Tard in 2019.
Greaneteen was impressive at Sandown in the Tingle Creek and he found just Shishkin too good next time. Paul Nicholls’ charge is a very talented horse but the ground has to be a worry for him today. He is at his best on good to soft or quicker so with rain forecast and the amount of watering done at the track during the week, the ground is most definitely not in his favour.
Ground Concerns For Guinness?
Captain Guinness finished 3rd in the Tingle Creek, 6L behind Greaneteen. Henry De Bromhead’s son of Arakan has won on ground ranging from good to yielding to heavy. However, arguably his two best runs (Naas and Sandown) came on good to yielding and good to soft. So, maybe he would like it to dry out a bit. However, if he proves to be as effective on the easier ground, he will be a threat to all.
Dunvegan bids to do a Conflated and go from winning a handicap to a Grade 1. He was mightily impressive at Fairyhouse last time but he has struggled on his previous visits to Leopardstown. Bar a 2nd in maiden hurdle there, he has form figures of 0P6. All of his six wins have come going right-handed so he could be one to watch out for at Punchestown. Cash Back is the outsider and he has it to do to trouble the top three. Given his course form, Chacun Pour Soi is the most likely winner but at the prices, I’m happy to just watch. No bet.
2022 Leopardstown DRF Sunday Tips: No Bet
2.25 – Leopardstown Handicap Chase (Grade A)
Gallant John Joe is a horse I’ve been watching closely this season. Oliver McKiernan’s 9yo has some serious form in the book. He hasn’t shaped badly at all in two runs back from a long absence this season. Both runs this term came in Graded company. First run back he ran in a G1 here on St Stephen’s Day and he finished well beat by Ferny Hollow and Riviere D’etel. Next time at Punchestown (20f yld) he finished 5th, beat 37L by Bob Olinger, but he ran way better than the distance beaten suggests.
He jumped into 3rd over the second last and he actually held that position jumping the last. The tank emptied coming up the straight though and he finished tired. He should be nearing peak fitness now after those two outings and on his 2019/20 form with Royal Rendezvous he is looking nicely handicapped off a mark of just 142. He was half a length behind that rival at Naas (20f sft) and he is now rated 161. The son of Presenting likes it at Leopardstown, the ground is fine and at double figure odds, Gallant John Joe is the each way selection.
2022 Leopardstown DRF Sunday Tips: Gallant John Joe e/w @ 10/1 (5 places)
3.00 – Irish Champion Hurdle (Grade 1)
This is all about Honeysuckle. Henry De Bromhead’s stable star bids to make it an incredible fourteen wins from fourteen starts under rules and she is an extremely short price to do exactly that. I’ve given up trying to get her beat at this stage. Attempting to pick holes in her form is futile because she has passed every test she has faced so far with flying colours. All ground comes alike to her, she is effective over 16f to 20f and she should win this before heading to the Festival to defend her crown.
The bookies make Zanahiyr the most likely to pull off the upset. He has chased Sharjah home the last twice, top class form. However, Sharjah has tried and failed to beat Honeysuckle in the past so that doesn’t bode well for the Elliott horse. Saint Roi and Echoes In Rain head the Mullins challenge. They are both talented performers in their own right but they haven’t shown anything that indicates they can beat the favourite.
Heaven Help Us should ensure that the race is run at an honest clip. However, she shouldn’t be able to finish within an ass’s roar of Honeysuckle if she runs to even 90% of what she is capable of. De Bromhead’s mare will most likely win barring mishaps but this is another race where I am more than happy to keep my powder dry. No bet.
2022 Leopardstown DRF Sunday Tips: No Bet
3.35 – Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)
This is the race I am most looking forward to on Sunday. I have already backed Colonel Mustard for the Supreme so I am hoping (and praying) that he shows what he is capable of today. This horse owes us nothing at this stage. We have backed him three times and on all three occasions, he has landed place money. He was third for us at 33s, 2nd for us at 40s and then last time out he was second behind Jonbon at 12s. The bookies still don’t rate him though and he has been written off yet again.
To be honest, I’m not sure what this horse has to do to gain some respect. He has already been placed in two Grade 1s. The horse that beat him last time won a G1 on his next start and the horse he beat into 3rd at Punchestown won the Irish Arkle yesterday. In between those two excellent efforts he shed his maiden tag in impressive fashion at Galway.
Colonel Mustard is rated 140, a pound lower than My Mate Mozzie (8/1) and Three Stripe Life (11/2). Lorna Fowler’s horse is priced up at 20/1. 2021 Champion Bumper winner Sir Gerhard is the fav for this (and the Supreme) after his maiden win here in December. The third home boosted that form next time out and Willie Mullins’ son of Jeremy is clearly a talented horse. So is Colonel Mustard though and I am hoping he gives Sir Gerhard a proper race. 20/1 is way too big given his form and hopefully he proves the bookies wrong. Again.
2022 Leopardstown DRF Sunday Tips: Colonel Mustard e/w @ 20/1 NAP
4.10 – Liffey Handicap Hurdle (Grade B)
In From The Cold is another horse that has done us turns in the past. He landed e/w bets for us at the Curragh and Galway last season and he has now turned his hooves to hurdling. Mick Mulvany’s charge had his first start over timber in October. It was a winning one at Wexford (16.5f hvy). He jumped well in the main and Sean Flanagan delivered him late to score by a neck. The horse he beat, Level Neverending, had won his previous two bumpers. So, it was quite a scalp to take.
The Mulvanys then decided to go straight into Novice company at Gowran Park (16f yld). Saint Felicien ran out an easy winner and In From The Cold finished 12L back in 3rd. I wouldn’t hold that run against him though as he also struggled at Gowran whenever he ran there on the flat and he is a much better horse going left handed. He didn’t run too badly last time in a Limerick G2, finishing 6.5L behind Teahupoo and 5L behind Quilixios.
The return to Leopardstown will be right up this son of Alhebayeb’s street. He has run crackers on all three previous visits on the flat. He was 4th in a Listed heat behind Lope Y Fernandez, he was 2nd in a handicap off 96 and he won here back in October off 93. I’d imagine connections’ long term plan will be the Galway Hurdle. However, this looks a nice starting point for him in handicap hurdles and with Richie Deegan taking off 3lbs, hopefully he can make his presence felt.
