Current News

Tuesday, 6 December 2011

Leopardstown Racecourse today launched the Leopardstown Christmas Festival with the announcement of the early stage entries which feature an exciting array of equine talent across all the major races. The launch included a stable tour of Curragh based trainer Dessie Hughes’ yard, where festival prospects Minsk, Stonemaster, Magnanimity and Frisco Depot were put through their paces.

Leopardstown were pleased to note that the Christmas Festival is 100% sponsored as well as announcing the introduction of many new customer focused initiatives including the addition of the Festival Enclosure Marquee.

Ciaran Conroy, Commercial Manager at Leopardstown Racecourse said: “We are delighted to achieve 100% sponsorship for the Festival and we would like to welcome the Racing Post, United Arab Emirates Embassy, Topaz and Thorntons Recycling as new sponsors at the Festival. We are privileged to partner with so many existing and loyal sponsors including Paddy Power, Lexus, Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association, Woodies DIY, Mongey Communications, Madigans, The Irish Daily Star, Ballymaloe Country Relish, Ryans Event Cleaners, Pertemps and Martinstown Stud. Leopardstown offers a significant platform for sponsors to engage with a captive audience as well achieving their targeted business objectives”.

Pat Keogh, CEO at Leopardstown Racecourse said: “We are continuously working on improving the experience for racegoers at Leopardstown. This year we look forward to introducing a number of customer focused enhancements including the Festival Enclosure Marquee which will be open from 11am each morning, providing entertainment all day. The newly refurbished Leopardstown Pavilion will host the Winter Warmer package. Following on from the success of the renovated Tote Hall in 2010, improvements have also been made to the Top Level Suites and the Owners & Trainers Bar”.

Commenting further on the race entries, Keogh said: “We are delighted with the entries for our early closing races. It is certain that we will be treated to some wonderful racing. It is great to see so many champions amongst the entries and there is plenty of new talent ready to take them on. It is also nice to see a good number of English trained horses aiming at the festival. Leopardstown has seen some marvellous races over the years, where the best of Ireland and Great Britain take each other on. This adds another dimension to the racing and we are looking forward to a number of healthy battles over the Festival”.

 Dessie Hughes Horses To Follow           Dessie Hughes Profile
 

Monday 26th December

Racing Post Novice Chase

Trainer Henry de Bromhead said after Days Hotel won the Grade 2 Craddockstown Chase at Punchestown last month that he would follow the Sizing Europe route, and that put the Racing Post Novice Chase firmly on his agenda.  

The son of Oscar sets a high standard in a race that was won two years ago by his illustrious stable companion, who went on to land the Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham later that season, and who won the Queen Mother Champion Chase last term. The accuracy and fluency of Days Hotel’s jumping has been apparent in his two chases to date, both over two miles at Punchestown, and, a good hurdler, that attribute should allow him go even higher over fences.

Willie Mullins dominates the list of entries numerically, with a seven-strong team that includes Raptor, Lambro and Sir Des Champs, all really exciting novice chasers, while the Edward O’Grady-trained Grade 1-winning hurdler Shot From The Hip and the Tony Martin-trained Bog Warrior, hugely impressive winner of the Grade 1 Drinmore Chase at Fairyhouse on Sunday, are other entries that catch the eye.

 

Tuesday 27th December

Paddy Power Dial-a-Bet Chase

Just nine entries at this stage for the Paddy Power Dial-a-Bet Chase, while this race rarely boasts quantity, by the same token it rarely lacks quality.  
Colm Murphy’s evergreen Big Zeb, winner of the race in 2008 and again last year, when he got the better of old adversary Golden Silver, is set to return in a bid to make it three from three in the race.  

It looks like Paul Nolan is going to allow Noble Prince take his chance. Last season’s Jewson Chase hero, the son of Montjeu has just two lengths to find with Big Zeb on their running in the Fortria Chase at Navan last month. Fortria Chase third Forpadydeplasterer, the 2009 Arkle Trophy winner and runner-up in 11 of his 15 chases, ran his best race for a long time in finishing just a head behind Noble Prince at Navan, also holds an entry, as do Tranquil Sea, Golden Silver and last Saturday’s Tingle Creek Chase winner Sizing Europe in what could be another thriller.

paddypower.com Future Champions Novice Hurdle

Willie Mullins has never tried to hide the regard in which he holds Sous Le Cieux, and Susannah Ricci’s gelding went some way towards justifying his trainer’s faith when he ran out an impressive winner of the Royal Bond Hurdle at Fairyhouse on Sunday. He is joined on the list of entries for the paddypower.com Future Champions Novice Hurdle by six stable companions, including the impressive Navan maiden hurdle winner Boston Bob, the 95-rated ex-Andrew Balding-trained Simenon, and the once-raced maiden hurdle winner Turban.

The list of entries outside of the Mullins camp is also brimming with talent, and includes a quartet from the Noel Meade yard, headed up by the exciting Il Fenomeno, who will be on a recovery mission after disappointing in the Royal Bond, and point-to-point, bumper and maiden hurdle winner Formidableopponent, that pair owned by Ireland’s two leading owners, Gigginstown House Stud and JP McManus respectively. Other entries that catch the eye include Group 3 winner, the Dermot Weld-trained Galileo’s Choice, and the 2010 Cheltenham Festival Bumper third Frawley, as well as Gowran Park novice hurdle 1-2 Cash And Go and Jenari.

Paddy Power Chase

The first eight home in the Ladbrokes.com Troytown Chase at Navan last month all hold entries in the Paddy Power Chase.  An 8lb hike for Troytown winner Groody Hill may not be enough to hinder his progress. JP McManus’s gelding is just five years old and was racing over three miles for the first time in the Troytown, yet the manner in which he stayed on from an unpromising position jumping the final fence to get up on the line was admirable, and he may not be finished improving yet.

The Pauline Gavin-trained Ad Idem, who went down by just a half a length in the Troytown after looking the likely winner when he got the better of Cross Appeal jumping the final fence, will meet his conqueror on 3lb better terms if both horses line up, and that would give him a major chance of reversing placings.

A seven-strong entry from the UK includes the David Pipe-trained Master Overseer – who has an alternative engagement in the Welsh National at Chepstow – and the Nicky Henderson-trained Aigle D’Or, as well as three from the Jonjo O’Neill yard, and the Tim Vaughan-trained Stewarts House, who ran well in the race for a long way last year when under the care of Arthur Moore and who was a game winner of the Grand Sefton Chase at Aintree on Saturday. Other entries to catch the eye include Sweeps Hill, The Bishop Looney and the Flemensfirth mare By The Hour, representing Robert Tyner, whose runners in this race are always worth a second look.

 

Wednesday 28th December

Lexus Chase

Paul Nicholls reports Denman bang on track to make his seasonal debut in the Lexus Chase.  The plan is apparently for the 11-year-old former Gold Cup winner – who won the Lexus Chase as far back as 2007 – to have just two runs this season, in the Lexus Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup, before retiring. Reportedly in rude health, if his supporters needed any encouragement, they would have got it from that memorable performance that his stable companion and fellow veteran Kauto Star put up to land the Betfair Chase at Haydock two weeks ago.

The Lexus Chase is also on the agenda of the Paul Nolan-trained Joncol, third in the race for the last two years and winner of the 2010 Hennessy Gold Cup over the same course and distance, who may take in the John Durkan Chase at Punchestown next Sunday first, while representation from last year’s novices is headed up by the Colm Murphy-trained Quito De La Roque, winner of the JNwine.com Champion Chase at Down Royal on his only run this term, and last year’s RSA Chase winner Bostons Angel, Jessica Harrington’s horse bidding to bounce back after finishing third in the Future Stars Chase at Sandown last Friday.

Topaz Fort Leney Novice Chase

Gigginstown House appear to hold the key to the Topaz Fort Leney Chase. Impressive Drinmore Chase winner Bog Warrior does shape like a horse who will be suited by stepping up to three miles, but he also has the option of the two-mile race, the Racing Post Novice Chase, on Monday, and that is a realistic option given that his beginners’ chase win was recorded over the minimum trip.  The Tony Martin-trained gelding will set a high standard whichever race he targets.

Even in his absence from this race, however, Michael O’Leary’s outfit could still be strongly represented, with the Gigginstown entries including Last Instalment, two from two over fences so far, and First Lieutenant, winner of the Neptune Hurdle at Cheltenham in March but disappointing in the Drinmore Chase on Sunday. Also among the entries are Raptor and Bishopsfurze from the Willie Mullins yard, while the Paul Nicholls-trained Cheltenham November meeting winner Join Together would add an interesting dimension if he made the trip from the UK.

 

Thursday 29th December

Istabraq Festival Hurdle

Hurricane Fly is the headline act in the Istabraq Festival Hurdle.  Last year’s winner, the Willie Mullins-trained gelding went on to land the Irish Champion Hurdle over the same course and distance in January, and to land the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham before rounding off the season by beating Thousand Stars and Binocular in the Rabobank Champion Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival. Not seen in public since then, he could make his seasonal debut at Leopardstown this year.

Mullins is well-represented in the race with five other entries, including So Young, Thousand Stars and Zaidpour, while Colm Murphy has entered his top class mare, Voler La Vedette, winner of the Grade 1 Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse on Sunday. The Dermot Weld-trained mare Unaccompanied, runner-up in last season’s Triumph Hurdle, and the Edward O’Grady-trained The Real Article, a dual Grade 2 winner this season, are other significant entries.