RACING JOURNALIST JOHNNY Ward gives his best tips – along with the latest BoyleSports odds and offers – as Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival continues.
Willie Mullins’ treble on day one at Leopardstown — he also had two hot favourites beaten — showed the returning crowds (15,797 attendance) that it was very much business as usual in the jumps game.
The champion trainer could conceivably have five odds-on shots on day two. On the one level, he’s a trainer who doesn’t mess around with his horses and punters can trust him; on the other, the game ideally needs more depth to keep people interested.
Day one was a mixed bag for punters and it might pay to support the apparent Mullins second-string in today’s feature. Facile Vega is an unbackable price for most, while Dysart Dinamo doesn’t really look one to take cramped odds about.
We saw another superb performance from a Joseph O’Brien-trained maiden Monday, when High Definition jumped out to his right but still had the quality to win well on his hurdling debut. JP McManus has an incredible amount of ex-Flat horses going hurdling now, with O’Brien’s Goodie Two Shows another high-class recruit here, though she lacks experience.
A scatter of these looks good enough to win maiden hurdles sooner or later. Tekao very much looked the part on paper going into his Navan run but he simply ran too freely. He still managed to finish third and the winner, Comfort Zone, boosted that form subsequently behind the top-class Lossiemouth.
Tekao should be much wiser here for a stable in sensational form. Willie Mullins has run three of the last six renewals here and is utterly dominant in the juvenile division this season.
The big one on the second day is a pretty compelling race despite the absence of Energumene, the top dog in this division. Even without him, Willie Mullins is odds-on to win the race but Blue Lord might be the value of his three. Somewhat without getting the credit he deserves, the seven-year-old is five from six chasing and he jumps spectacularly well.
Chacun Pour Soi under a bit of a cloud as he has been turned over thrice in his last four runs, is rising 11 and the fact he was sent off 8-1 at Cheltenham is pretty alarming. Blue Lord needed a far stronger gallop at Clonmel and if he is to win a senior Grade 1 chasing this is the day surely.
BoyleSports is not only top price here: it pays seven places. Panda Boy is only a six-year-old but two six-year-olds have won this since 2015 and you really need a horse with few miles clocked chasing. His trainer, Martin Brassil, is one of the best at aiming one at a big day and, given Panda Boy won at the Festival here 12 months ago, likely this has been the obvious aim for some time.
Given the prices he was sent off in graded company since his impressive maiden chase win, they look little more than a means to an end, and he should be primed now.
BoyleSports has a money back offer on every single race of the Leopardstown festival, offering customers maximum value for the festival and throughout Christmas
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