Mick Fitzgerald’s Leopardstown Racing Tips
12:05 Ndaawi
12:35 Marine Nationale
13:10 Dinoblue
13:45 Daddy Long Legs
14:20 Nusret
15:00 Chemical Energy (each-way)
15:35 Joystick
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
We start Paddy Power Chase Day with a three-year-old maiden hurdle over 2m, a race that has been won by the favourite for the past three seasons and a race Willie Mullins has won four times (including the last two) since 2016.
However, Gordon Elliott’s NDAAWI used to be trained by Andrew Balding and ran in the Listed Noel Murless Stakes at Ascot in October on the Flat before switching to Ireland for a jumps campaign. He wasn’t beaten that far and will know his job now over hurdles. The ground will be the key factor and rain is due for the day.
A 2m 1f chase where last year’s Supreme Novices Hurdle winner MARINE NATIONALE is set to make his chasing debut. He’s one of my horses to follow this season and is unbeaten in five races now since triumphing in a Punchestown bumper in 2022. This will be a good test for his jumping debut and he’s the apple of Barry Connell’s eye who reckons he wouldn’t be out of place in a Group 1 Flat race.
He’s already a leading fancy for the Arkle Chase at the Cheltenham Festival next March and should be winning here to justify those ambitions. He mightn’t be much of a price but the stable form is a concern.
Willie Mullins is mob-handed in the Grade 1 Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase over 2m 1f but the training honours are even over the past four years as he and Henry De Bromhead have shared the honours.
De Bronhead’s Captain Guinness holds a slight market advantage over Mullins’ DINOBLUE who likes decent ground. She can get one over Captain Guinness, who was beaten in this contest last year. She receives 7lbs as a sex allowance and that may just swing it.
The Grade 1 Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle has attracted some of the best 2m novice hurdlers in Ireland and Down Memory Lane puts his unbeaten record on the line for JP McManus and trainer Gordon Elliott after winning his bumper and a Down Royal maiden hurdle easily.
DADDY LONG LEGS was an impressive winner of a maiden hurdle at Thurles but this is a big step up in class for most of these novices. Willie Mullins has so many good horses that anything he runs has to be respected. He won so easily last time that he goes into the ‘could be anything’ category.
An ultra-competitive 2m handicap hurdle where a lot of these reoppose from the valuable handicap at Fairyhouse at their Winter Festival. The lightly-weighted By Your Side proved the best of them on that occasion behind Common Practice with Conyers Hill in third. However, NUSRET, a son of Golden Horn will love conditions. This is right up his street and a mark of 139 leaves him with scope in this handicap.
The big betting race of the day is the Paddy Power Chase where Paddy’s sure to pay extra places. Don’t be afraid to look away from the market leaders as we’ve had 33/1, 12/1 16/1 & 28/1 winners in four of the last five years.
Real Steel chinned Diol Ker by a short-head last year with Panda Boy in third and the latter looks dangerous for top target trainer Martin Brassil again and looks to have been laid out for another crack at the €112k winner’s purse.
Ground conditions could swing it in CHEMICAL ENERGY’s favour. He was second in the National Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last March. However, his win in October at Cheltenham beating Mahler Mission looks really good now. This is an open contest and he is a value-play to hit the places at least.
Willie Mullins won the bumper on this card with Fact to File last year and usually aims his top prospects at Leopardstown over the four days. This year shouldn’t be any different and he relies on JOYSTICK. It usually pays to trust Willie Mullins’ in the bumpers.
Leopardstown Racing Tips
12:05 Ndaawi
12:35 Marine Nationale
13:10 Dinoblue
13:45 Daddy Long Legs
14:20 Nusret
15:00 Chemical Energy (each-way)
15:35 Joystick
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
