2024 Leopardstown DRF Saturday Tips – DS
2024 Leopardstown DRF Saturday Tips
We have a massive weekend of horse racing ahead of us on both sides of the Irish Sea. The Dublin Racing Festival is the main event on Saturday & Sunday. We also have action from Sandown and Musselburgh on Saturday, you can check those out here. Dave Stevos’ 2024 Leopardstown DRF Saturday previews and tips are below.
1.20 – Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)
Unfortunately, three of the six races we’ll be looking at today have six runners or less. This is the first one and just the half dozen novices will go to post for this 22f Grade 1. Predator’s Gold is the 6/4 jolly after his G1 second over 16f (hvy) here in December, 6.5L behind Caldwell Potter. A previous winner over 19f, he will surely relish stepping back up in trip.
4/1 shot Loughglynn has already proven his stamina for this sort of test. The Champion Bumper also ran won his hurdles debut at Punchestown (19f sft) by 10l and he followed up in a Grade 2 at Limerick (23f hvy) at Christmas. However, that form doesn’t look overly strong and this will be a tougher proposition for the son of Vendangeur.
Good Family
Jetara is out of full sister to Jezki and Jenari, a good family. This 6yo mare has been something of a slow burner over hurdles. She won a bumper on debut in April 2022, added a Listed bumper in November 2022 but she came up well short in her first four runs over timber, although to be fair she was very ambitiously campaigned.
However, the switch back to maiden company at Fairyhouse saw her sin by 16L and it seems to have boosted her confidence. She has hosed up in Listed (Punchestown, 19f hvy) and G3 (Leopardstown, 20f hvy) company since and she looks well worth her place in this field, especially in receipt of 7lbs from the boys.
Maiden Winner
Fairyhouse maiden winner I Will Be Baie is next best in the betting at 15/2. Brian Hayes will ride and he was impressive at the county Meath track. This is a big step up in class for him but you can never discount any of Willie Mullins’ horses in races like this.
Stellar Story has come up short in G2 company the last twice. He only has a length to find with Loughglynn on their meeting at Limerick but I don’t think he had any excuses that day. Danny Mullins rides Dancing City, another unexposed Mullins’ maiden hurdle winner (Navan, 20f sft/hvy). He shaped as though he’d stay this trip at Navan and if there were three places on offer, I’d be half tempted at 16s.
However, this race makes very limited appeal from an e/w perspective as the bookies are not taking many chances. No Bet.
2024 Leopardstown DRF Saturday Tips: No Bet
1.50 – Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 1)
Eleven were declared for this 16f contest and six are trained by Willie. Five of his six entries are chalked up at 10/1 or shorter and Paul Townend is on the favourite, Storm Heart. A decent middle distance performer in France, he absolutely hosed up on heavy ground at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve. It was only a maiden (16f hvy) but he won by 22L and the third (26.5L behind) has since won a handicap off 113. That is solid form in the context of this race.
Majborough is one of the season’s ‘hype’ horses. Ex French, JP owned and trained by Willie, Mark Walsh will take the ride. An easy winner on his sole French start at Auteuil (15f v sft) but that form has not really worked out.
Batman Girac was one of only two subsequent winners to come out of that race and he has come up short in G3/G2 company since, including when behind Kala Conti here on Stephen’s Day. Majborough did beat him further than the Elliott horse but even so, I’d fancy Kala Conti over Majborough today because of his fitness and experience advantages.
Bigger Prices
Ose Partir ran much better here last time than he did previously at Fairyhouse. Yes, he was beaten 9L behind Kala Conti but it looked to my eye like JJ Slevin’s mission was to get him to settle better. He certainly did that and I think he’s a horse with plenty of ability.
The horse that beat him on his last French flat run was only 4L behind Big Rock on his next start. Not bad form at all. However, Ose Partir will earn a mark after this run and he could be an ideal candidate for the Boodles Juvenile Handicap hurdle in March.
Overpriced
One that should be trying that looks potentially overpriced is Intellotto. Trained by Joseph O’Brien, Daryl Jacob rides and he ran out an impressive winner of a 3yo maiden at this track over the Festive Period. The last time Joseph won that race was in 2018 with the ill fated Sir Erec and he followed up in this contest.
Intellotto is from a very good flat family and he is by a top sire in Lope De Vega. He had already shown himself to be a pretty handy performer on the level with his superb effort behind the now 100+ rated Kingswood on his last flat appearance at Cork in April.
His lack of experience over hurdles might catch him out on his first try in this Grade but he looks a very exciting type. Odds of 17/2 are just about big enough to warrant an e/w interest.
2024 Leopardstown DRF Saturday Tips: Intellotto e/w @ 17/2
2.25 – Arkle Novice Chase (Grade 1)
This was meant to be the race of the season so far but Willie Mullins had other plans. Everyone was salivating at the thought of Marine Nationale vs Gaelic Warrior, but the Ricci horse has sidestepped the challenge and will race over further on Sunday instead.
That leaves us with six in this 17f race and Barry Connell’s stable star is odds on. He took to chasing like the proverbial duck to water here over Xmas and slammed Firm Footings by 8.5L. On his last hurdles start he beat Facile Vega decisively at Cheltenham and he remains unbeaten after six rules starts. Barring accidents, that run should be extended to seven on Saturday.
Sketchy Jumper
Facile Vega is the biggest danger according to the oddsmakers. However, his jumping hasn’t been brilliant over fences and I’d fancy Found A Fifty to beat him again. The one that could improve past both of those horses is Il Etait Temps.
A G1 winner over hurdles at this meeting last year, he has taken well to chasing. He made short work of Ho My Lord on his chase debut at Thurles (18f yld). Last time out he found just Gaelic Warrior too good at Limerick (19.5f hvy).
The drop back in trip and better ground should suit him today and while he is 1-2 vs Facile Vega over hurdles, he could draw level with him over the bigger obstacles. Another cause for optimism is his form at Leopardstown.
He has finished 3rd, 2nd and 1st in three previous visits and he might improve for going left handed after going the opposite way on his first two chase starts. At odds of 20/1, Il Etait Temps can hopefully chase Marine Nationale home and reward e/w support.
2024 Leopardstown DRF Saturday Tips: Il Etait Temps e/w @ 20/1
3.00 – Handicap Hurdle (Listed)
This is more like it, a nice big field handicap hurdle. A trip of 24f awaits the maximum field of 24 and as ever, you could make a case for at least a dozen. As long time followers will know, I am a sucker for course form and I am amazed to see that Ballybawn Belter is as big as 25/1 considering she is 2/2 at Leopardstown.
The first of those wins for Liz Doyle’s mare came in a bumper in March 2022. A shade less than a year later she landed the biggest pot of her career in a mares’ handicap hurdle at this meeting in February 2023. That 2L win came over 17.5f off a mark of 106 and she is in off 130 this weekend.
She last won at Ballinrobe in September (22f yld), landing another mares’ handicap off 121. She ran just ok dropped in trip to 20f at Naas last time out in November, finishing 8th of 19 in a similar race to this.
The ground will be slightly better at Leopardstown, which will suit, and if this prominent racer can get off to a fast start, she can hopefully run into the places at least at odds of 25/1.
2024 Leopardstown DRF Saturday Tips: Ballybawn Belter e/w @ 25/1 (6 places) nb
3.35 – Irish Gold Cup (Grade 1)
What a rubbish turnout this is. Just four horses will line up at the start for this Grade 1 chase and Galopin Des Champs is 4/9. Fastorslow has beaten him the last twice they have met but Galopin had excuses on both occasions. They’ll probably finish 1-2 and if Galopin Des Champs repeats what he did here last time, there’ll only be one winner.
Conflated won this in 2022 and he produced arguably his best run since at Down Royal in November. He was tired when he fell at the last here in December and it’s hard to see how he can beat the top two. I Am Maximus could outrun his odds but with just four runners, this is a win only race. No bet.
2024 Leopardstown DRF Saturday Tips: No Bet
4.10 – Ryanair Handicap Chase (Listed)
In the hope that this is his seasonal target, the 11yo Rebel Gold is going to be the e/w play here. Trained by Pat Foley, this grand servant last won in this month last year. He beat the then 155 rated Couer Sublime in that Grade 3 chase (16f yld) and that was it for the season.
This year he has had two runs. The first one came in November at Naas in a 20f handicap hurdle. Unsurprisingly, he finished well beaten there, just like he did behind El Fabiolo when 125/1 for a very hot Hilly Way Chase down in Cork.
Swing In Weights
On his last handicap chase start Rebel Gold finished a decent fifth in this race last year. That came off a mark of 144 and he was 6L behind the winner, Final Orders. He was conceding 2lbs to the Cromwell horse, this time he gets 2lbs and with Conor Stone Walsh taking off 5lbs, he is effectively 9lbs better off with that rival.
Final Orders is priced up at 12/1 here and Rebel Gold is over twice his odds at 25/1. Ok, he isn’t getting any younger at 11yo but hopefully he has one big day left in him. Back Rebel Gold e/w.
