The Dublin Racing Festival has firmly established itself as one of the standout events in the National Hunt calendar, delivering two action-packed days of top-class racing at Leopardstown.
Featuring eight Grade 1 contests, the festival serves as a key stepping stone for many of Ireland’s leading Cheltenham hopefuls while also giving us a chance to enjoy some of the sport’s brightest stars.
From breakout performances and surprising upsets to potential implications for the season ahead, we break down the biggest talking points from this year’s Dublin Racing Festival.
Willie Mullins unleashes exciting novices
Some of the ante-post markets for the Festival’s top novices’ contest saw fluctuations after Willie Mullins unleashed a couple of exciting youngsters at Leopardstown.
Final Demand romped home in the first race of the meeting, beating Wingmen by 12 lengths in the Grade 1 Novice Hurdle, and is now the 5/2 favourite for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle ahead of the unbeaten The New Lion.
On day two, the promising Kopek Des Bordes proved his class in the top-level Ireland Novice Hurdle. Winning by a comfortable 13 lengths from Karniquet, the five-year-old cast aside any doubt about his jumping ability and is now the 5/4 market leader for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
Majborough throws down a challenge to Sir Gino
Considered one of the ‘certs’ ahead of the Festival on many Cheltenham tips sites, Sir Gino’s Arkle bid might not be as straightforward as the majority of pundits and racing fans had hoped, as Majborough’s convincing win in the Irish Arkle makes him a major challenger to Nicky Henderson’s star.
Majborough’s jumping was far from perfect in the race, but he went clear of the Gordon Elliott-trained Touch Me Not before the last and coasted to a nine-length victory in the Grade 1 with Mark Walsh able to ease him toward the finish.
Sir Gino remains the heavy favourite for the Arkle itself on the opening day of Cheltenham, but Majborough can certianly make it difficult if he can jump a bit better at Prestbury Park.
Galopin Des Champs lands a third Irish Gold Cup
The Irish Gold Cup is the race of the weekend at the Dublin Racing Festival and Galopin Des Champs made the headlines by winning the feature for the third year running—leaving him just one victory off the record set by fellow Mullins-trained horse Florida Pearl between 1999 and 2004.
The crowd turned out in their numbers to catch a glimpse of the dual Gold Cup champion, and he didn’t disappoint his large fanbase when beating 66/1 outsider Grangeclare West and Fact To File in a Mullins 1-2-3.
All roads now lead to Prestbury Park for Galopin Des Champs, who is as short as 1/2 to land a historic third Gold Cup next month.
Ballyburn bounces back
Ballyburn silenced his doubters with a return to winning ways in the Grade 1 Novice Chase on day two of the Dublin Racing Festival, showing a lot of heart to fend off a tough challenge from Croke Park for a five-length win.
After a defeat at the hands of Sir Gino in the Wayward Lad at Kempton over Christmas, the seven-year-old appreciated the step back up in trip at Leopardstown and should come on even more in the three-mile+ Brown Advisory at Cheltenham.
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Solness caused an upset in the Dublin Chase and could be the main danger to Jonbon in the Champion Chase, while State Man secured a third Irish Champion Hurdle in a row after Lossiemouth devastatingly crashed out.
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