2026 Leopardstown & Sandown Saturday Tips – DS
2026 Leopardstown & Sandown Saturday Tips
Our 12/1 NAP Donnacha did us proud last weekend at Cheltenham. The Last Cloud also nabbed a place at 18s so it was a good day overall. We have some seriously good racing to get stuck into this weekend with Grade 1 action on both sides of the Irish Sea, Dave Stevos’ 2026 Leopardstown & Sandown Saturday tips are below.
Weekend Plan
This is going to be an extremely busy weekend. ITV are due to show no less than eleven live races from Leopardstown, Sandown and Musselburgh on Saturday so it will be a case of separating the wheat from the chaff. I won’t be covering every race but I’ll definitely look at all of the Grade 1s and I’ll also try to find some value in the handicaps that have eight runners or more. Hopefully, we can find a few decent bets.
1.15 Leopardstown – Nathaniel Lacy Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)
Given that some of the track was underwater after torrential rain in Dublin earlier this week, fair play to the ground staff at Leopardstown for getting the course raceable for this weekend. The ground had dried to yielding to soft on the chase course by Thursday but with more rain in the pipeline before racing, it’ll most likely be heavy all over.
This looks like one of the more open Grade 1s of the weekend. Yes, Doctor Steinberg is short at 5/4 and the form of his Navan win has been franked by Thedeviluno but I don’t think he is bulletproof.
Negatives
I like Tackletommywoowoo as a horse but there are three negatives regarding his prospects. Firstly, I’m not sure he wants ground this testing. Secondly, Declan Queally isn’t riding him and thirdly, the overall form of the yard is a concern.
Santo Sospir will love the ground and should stay the trip and he’ll have the assistance of Sean Bowen. Jack Kennedy prefers the chances of Kazansky whose stamina is assured.
Overpriced
The one that looks most overpriced is the rag, Yeshil. A 20.5f maiden hurdle winner on heavy at Punchestown in November, he ran third in the Grade 2 won by Kazansky at Limerick over Christmas. In that 2m7f (heavy) contest he travelled like the best horse in the race until around the 2m5f mark and as they jumped the last, he was no more than a half-length behind the Elliott horse.
After the final hurdle he was outstayed by the winner and the runner up County Final but he was only 4l behind at the line and I think he may be able to get a bit closer to Kazansky over this slightly shorter trip. Given that the Elliott horse is just 11/2 here, Yeshil is surely a shade too big at 50s and he is the each way selection.
2026 Leopardstown & Sandown Saturday Tip: Yeshil e/w @ 50/1
1.43 Musselburgh – Scottish County Handicap Hurdle (Class 2)
Musselburgh is, somehow, good to soft. They’ve seemingly missed most of the inclement weather and that will suit the favourite Afadil, the winner of this race in 2024 off 5lb higher. With Freddie Keighley claiming 7lb, he’ll likely be hard to beat.
Donald McCain is having a good season and he runs two for Scottish owner Jimmy Fyffe here. The C&D winner City Of Diamond will be ridden by Brian Hughes but I prefer the chances of Static, who will be ridden by the 5lb claimer Charlie Maggs.
This horse probably should have won at Huntingdon on his penultimate start when he was given far too much to do and while he is 2lb ‘wrong’ here, he is just 1lb higher now. Soft ground probably didn’t suit him last time at Kelso when he finished a poor third but he is capable of better than that.
In last year’s Fred Winter he was only beaten 8l off 122 when finishing seventh of 22 and I believe he has enough ability to be competitive in a race of this nature off this sort of mark. At odds of 14/1, Static is worth chancing e/w for small stakes.
2026 Leopardstown & Sandown Saturday Tip: Static e/w @ 14/1
1.50 Leopardstown – Gannon’s Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 1)
Narciso Has is THE hype horse of the juvenile division. The French recruit sluiced up here over Christmas, making amends for his 2.75l defeat by Mange Tout at Fairyhouse on his Irish debut.
He’s odds on to follow up but will he handle heavy ground? His full brother was beaten twice on heavy ground so there is a chance he won’t but he’s a half to a multiple heavy ground winner so there is also a chance he will.
The ground is an unknown for Mange Tout too, so maybe one of the outsiders can get involved here. The one that fits the bill for me is Barbizon. He was sent off at just 2/1 in the race Narciso Has won here over Christmas but he came up short in fourth. However, that was on yielding ground and he looked a different proposition when hosing up on heavy at Navan on his previous start.
He’s by King Of Change, a G1 winner on the flat on heavy ground, and while he admittedly has a speedy pedigree on his dam’s side, that Navan win proved he could cope with this sort of trip on heavy ground. Danny Gilligan was on board that day and he is back in the plate today and even with just two places on offer, odds of 25/1 are generous enough to warrant a modest e/w interest.
2026 Leopardstown & Sandown Saturday Tip: Barbizon e/w @ 25/1
2.02 Sandown – Virgin Bet Handicap Chase (Class 2)
Last year Classic Maestro was sent off the 2/1 fav for this contest off a mark of 130. He was in the process of running a big race until he pecked on landing after the second last but even after that slight mishap he finished fourth, just 4.25l behind the winner Gunsight Ridge. On his next start he hosed up at Leicester off 1lb lower.
He races off the same mark of 130 here and he’ll again be ridden by Luke Scott. The forecast rain is in his favour and while both his runs this season have been poor, this will be the first time he gets his favoured underfoot conditions.
I’d imagine Jenny Candlish has had this race in mind for him for some time, so at odds of 14/1 Classic Maestro is the each way selection.
2026 Leopardstown & Sandown Saturday Tip: Classic Maestro e/w @ 14/1 (4 places) NB
2.20 Musselburgh – Scottish Champion Handicap Chase (Class 2)
Eight run here but it’s not a betting race for me. Tommy’s Oscar is looking extremely well handicapped now having been dropped to 139 and he is a whopping 17lb lower than when beaten just over 6l in this in 2024. He’s an old favourite of mine and I’d love to see him win but odds of 13/2 are a shade too skinny for this blog. Hopefully, he gets back to his best and destroys them.
2026 Leopardstown & Sandown Saturday Tip: No bet
2.25 Leopardstown – Race And Stay Handicap Hurdle (Listed)
I’ve had my eye on a horse in this race ever since tipping her at the Christmas meeting here in 2024. That day she was brought down two out when making her move into the race and I am convinced she has a big pot in her off her current mark.
The horse concerned is Savante, a daughter of Workforce who is trained by Colm Murphy down in Wexford. She had a couple of spins over fences in October/November before she reverted to hurdles at Leopardstown in December.
In that C&D contest she was beaten just over 8l into seventh of 18 off 117. She has to run off 121 here as she is out of the handicap but with Callum Hogan’s 7lb allowance she is effectively 3lb lower and he is worth every ounce of his claim.
Savante was sent off the 4/1 favourite for the mares’ handicap here last year but the 2m2f trip was inadequate. This trip is more suitable, testing ground should be fine and at odds of 20/1, she looks a cracking e/w bet.
2026 Leopardstown & Sandown Saturday Tip: Savante e/w @ 20/1 (6 places) NAP
2.40 Sandown – Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
Just four runners in this Grade 1 novice and three in the Irish Arkle. Shocking stuff. Kitzbuhel loves going right-handed and will likely be hard to beat with Harry Cobden doing the steering. A similar sentiment applies to the dual Cork chase winner Kala Conti and she’ll probably provide most resistance.
2026 Leopardstown & Sandown Saturday Tip: No bet
2.55 Leopardstown – Irish Arkle Novice Chase (Grade 1)
Barry Connell stated that the Clarence House at Ascot was a Mickey Mouse race. Well, Leopardstown sees your Mickey Mouse and raises you a Donald Duck. Just three run here and it essentially looks a match between Romeo Coolio and Kargese. Is it a betting race? Not for me. Is it worth watching with a view to the main event at Cheltenham? Probably not. No bet.
2026 Leopardstown & Sandown Saturday Tip: No Bet
3.30 Leopardstown – Irish Gold Cup (Grade 1)
This is definitely not a Mickey Mouse race. A brilliant turnout with the defection of Haiti Couleurs the only disappointment. Our 33/1 Christmas winner Affordale Fury will be hoping to back up that superb display but whether he’ll be as effective on what will be very testing ground remains to be seen.
Galopin Des Champs could only manage third behind Affordale Fury last time but he is the 13/8 favourite to gain revenge. He should definitely come on for that seasonal reappearance but if it comes up heavy, he is 0-3 on ground with heavy in the description.
The booking of Jack Kennedy for I Am Maximus, runner up here in December, catches the eye. He’s one of our e/w ante-post selections for the Cheltenham Gold Cup and he has won on very testing ground so hopefully, he shows up well here again and books his place at Cheltenham in March.
Lively Outsider
With the ground the way it is, there might be an upset here and the horse that could provide it on ground he’ll relish is the 2024 Albert Bartlett winner, Stellar Story. That success came on heavy ground and amazingly, he’s only had that sort of ground once since. That was in a 3m Grade 2 chase at Navan a year ago and he was beaten just a neck by Better Days Ahead.
It was good to soft when he finished second behind Lecky Watson in the Brown Advisory and both of his runs this season, when third in the Betfair Chase at Haydock and when beaten 21l behind Affordale Fury here in December, came on good to soft and good to yielding respectively.
Jack Kennedy choosing to ride I Am Maximus for Willie Mullins rather than this lad is an obvious worry but Danny Gilligan was on board for the Brown Advisory last year and he usually gets a decent tune out of him. I normally don’t like backing horses in first time blinkers, which Stellar Story sports here, but at odds of 33/1 I am going to make an exception. Hopefully, the mud is flying and he runs on late in the day to hit the frame.
