The Dublin Racing Festival is done and dusted for another year. The racing was compelling, there were plenty of noteworthy performances, a few blowouts and a handful of horse’s worth adding to the tracker.
The controversy over watering the Leopardstown track continued. On the Saturday trainer Gordon Elliott was critical that not enough watering had been done prior to the meeting. The course management watered after racing on Saturday and that added to a small amount rain that fell overnight turned the ground much softer than the official going description of yielding. Looking at the times the hurdle course was nearer soft, and the chase track was bordering on heavy for Sunday’s racing.
This weekend racing isn’t as spectacular as last weeks. But there a few highlights to look forward to. At Newbury we should see the return of Altior in the Game Spirit Chase.
Another previous Cheltenham winner Native River well complete his Gold Cup preparation in the Denman Chase.
Add in the valuable Betfair Hurdle which is sure to attract a big field of handicap hurdlers for a winner’s prize of £87,219 and you have some good action to look forward too.
At Warwick there’s Grade 2 action, with the Kingmaker Novices’ Chase the feature of a seven-race card at the midlands track
On Sunday, Exeter hosts a high-quality seven race card with a Listed 2m1f novice hurdle which has been won by the likes of Native River & Politologue in recent seasons in addition to a Pertemps Series Qualifier & Veteran’s Chase Qualifier.
Over the Irish Sea. Punchestown stages a good card with the highly competitive BoyleSports Grand National Trial Handicap Chase the feature race.
Back to last weekend and this eyecatcher article solely concentrates on the Leopardstown action.
Leopardstown
Saturday February 1st
Longshore Poet my Albert Bartlett ante post selection ran a perfectly good race in the opening Grade 1 novices’ hurdle. He was plenty keen enough through the race and did well to finish as close as he did. Coming to the last he was just in the lead, but his effort just flattened on the run in and he had to settle for third.
A bigger field at Cheltenham should suit him as he can be dropped in. In the circumstances it was a perfectly respectable run and he remains on course for the Festival but is maybe more a place contender than a win one now.
Previous eyecatcher Golden Jewel did what Golden Jewel always does and run well in a big field handicap without winning. Held up at the back, he was smuggled into the race on the inside but had to be switched at the last. Staying on strongly on the run in to finish second he might have got closer to winner Thosedaysaregone but for not getting the best of runs at the last.
He could come over to Cheltenham to run in the County Hurdle and in a big field handicap you can never rule him out.
Appreciate It, trained by Willie Mullins, was the most impressive winner over the two days in the Grade 2 bumper that concluded the card. Travelling strongly in second 3f out. He took the lead coming to the final furlong and only had to pushed out to win by an easing up 7 ½ lengths.
He’s now a best price 5/2 with Paddy Power for the Champion Bumper. He will be a banker for many there and he will be tough to beat on the evidence of this high-class performance in what was a really good time for a bumper race.
My ante-post selection in the race Ask A Honey Bee is ticking along nicely and won his third bumper race on the trot at Wetherby on Saturday.
The 50/1 advised his looking rather tasty as he’s now down to a general 20/1 for the Champion Bumper. Still the Mullins looks like he will be a tough nut to crack.
I have two eyecatcher from day one of the Dublin Racing Festival.
Batcio – Ted Walsh
The 8-year-old had been in good form in December winning a beginners’ chase at Clonmel before stepping into handicap chase company for the first time and finishing 2nd of 16 over C&D at Christmas.
He set out to make all in the 2m 1f handicap chase. Always up in the lead he was still shading it when falling two out. He will remain on a competitive mark after this and there are more races to be won with him, provided this mishap hasn’t dented his confidence.
Darver Star – Gavin Cromwell
All eyes were on Honeysuckle in the Irish Champion Hurdle but the eyecatcher of the race was Darver Star. The 8-year-old has been one of the most improved hurdlers in Ireland this season. Back in August he won a minor hurdle at Downpatrick when rated just 119. Since then he’s gone onto win three more hurdles, before finishing a 4 length third to top novice Envoi Allen at Fairyhouse in December.
Racing for the first time out of novice company. He ran a super race out running his 20/1 odds to finish runner-up to Honeysuckle, beaten just ½ length. The race was run in a good time, so the form is reliable and there was plenty to like about how the way he finished off his race.
He’s still a novice so could head to Cheltenham for one of the novice hurdles but surely connections will roll the dice and head for the Champion Hurdle on the back of this performance. He doesn’t have to improve much more to be a contender what’s an open looking race.
Sunday February 2nd
The feature of day two was the Irish Gold Cup and it was a re-run of December’s Savills Chase.
Delta Work the winner of the Savills Chase over Christmas did it again with another solid win. The 7-year-old is now a strong contender for the Gold Cup and should appreciate the extra distance at Cheltenham.
Kemboy only 4th in the Savills Chase but was giving away race fitness that day. As expected he got closer to Delta Work on Sunday to finish second but for me, he made too many jumping errors to be a Gold Cup winner.
Presenting Percy is a bit of an enigma. Fifth in the Savills Chase, he finished third here but was ¾ length further behind the winner than at Christmas.
On the face of it this seems a disappointing run by the 9-year-old, but he was travelling like the most likely winner coming to two out. A slight mistake there didn’t help his cause, but he was in slight lead coming to the last. His backers for this and the Gold Cup will, however, have been underwhelmed in finishing effort after the last.
He was pushed out in the Gold Cup betting after this run but maybe the bookies have been a bit premature. I think he’s been trained to be spot on for Cheltenham in March. It’s worth remembering last season’s Gold Cup aside, he has won twice at the Cheltenham Festival and was such an impressive winner of the RSA Novices’ Chase two years ago.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he was to beat Delta Work in March but whether he can be beat the last year’s winner Al Boum Photo & up and coming Santini is another matter.
I have a two eyecatchers from the handicap races on the card.
You Can Call Me Al – Edward O’Grady
The 6-year-old has shaped with plenty of promise in maiden company since going hurdling this season, most notably when a close-up 3rd of 25 behind Embittered at Naas. He’s a big strong chase type with plenty of scope for improvement but you can see why the hood has been applied on his last four starts.
A beaten favourite (6/4) when 3rd of 16 at Limerick over Christmas. Not for the first time he far too keen in the early stages of the race and didn’t see his race as well as the two who finished in front of him.
Stepping markedly in distance to 3m for his handicap hurdle debut he was once again noted travelling powerfully behind leader Treacysenniscorthy and was still very much in contention when falling four out. Given how hard he was pulling at the time of his departure it was too early to say whether he would have played a part in the finish but there’s no doubt he has plenty of ability.
If he’s to fulfill his undoubted potential, he needs to settle better in his race but when he does he’s on a winnable mark.
At The Acorn – Tony Martin
Two 33/1 shots Glamorgan Duke & Trainwreck fought out the finish of the 2m 5f handicap chase. However, it proved to be a race full of incident, most notably at the final fence jumped, the normal last fence was bypassed.
Articulum who was close-up fell at the fence. If only the 10-year-old could put in a clear round of jumping as he’s got the ability to win a good pot. It’s just hard to say when that will be, as he’s now failed to complete on his last three starts.
The two worst suffers from Articulum’s fall where 9/2 favourite At The Acorn who did well to finish as close as he did in 6th.
The 6-year-old had been raised 15lb for winning a Fairyhouse novice chase last month but he clearly remains on a winning mark and is one to keep onside going forward in valuable handicap chases until the end of the season. There’s plenty to like about the gelding who should get 3m and could even develop into an Irish Grand National contender. A race the trainer won back in 2001.
Another suffer at the final fence was Fitzhenry. The Paul Nolan trained 8-year-old had creeped into contention when badly hampered by Articulum’s fall and it ended any chance he had.
Prior to this he had finished runner-up in the Troytown & Paddy Power. He’s proving very consistent in these valuable handicap chases, but that consistency means he’s risen 7lb in the weights. He deserves to win one a decent pot.
Cheers
John