Jane Mangan
Jane Mangan’s William Hill blog: Leopardstown Saturday Tips
William Hill ambassador Jane Mangan previews this afternoon’s action from Leopardstown, where Majborough vs Marine Nationale headlines the card.
Saturday, Leopardstown
The opening three-year-old contest (12.05pm) on day two is a fascinating affair, featuring a mix of unexposed types and horses with plenty of untapped potential. It’s unusual to see Willie Mullins send a homebred to France for their debut, but that’s exactly what he did with Dead Cert the day after last year’s Cheltenham Festival. He was beaten when falling at the last, taking a heavy tumble, but I think the experience he gained from that run will stand to him here. With that in mind, Dead Cert is one I’d be firmly with, certainly not against, in the opener on day two.
Marine Nationale won the Beginners’ Chase (12.37pm) on this card back in 2023, and while this year’s renewal doesn’t boast a huge field, we could be witnessing the emergence of another potential star. I was very taken by Lovely Hurling when he finished second to Final Demand at the Punchestown Festival, and his chasing debut at Navan did nothing to dent that impression. On his second start over fences, this son of Walk In The Park looks a horse with a very bright future for Colm Murphy, who trained Impervious to win at the Cheltenham Festival in these famous colours. Lovely Hurling could well be a rising star here.
The Grade 1 two-mile chase (1.12pm) on day two is a race to savour. Last year’s renewal was a strange affair, run in thick fog, with Solness making all and emerging a decisive winner ahead of Gaelic Warrior and Marine Nationale. This time around, I’m hoping for clear viewing so we can fully assess the jumping of Majborough and the return of Marine Nationale. For me, there’s no doubt that the best two-mile chaser last season was the horse who routed his Cheltenham rivals by 18 lengths and backed it up at Punchestown. Marine Nationale thrives on quick ground and is the one I’m with here. He was learning on the job early last season, having missed most of his novice year, and I expect Barry Connell to have him primed for another course-and-distance success. Majborough’s jumping remains a concern, Found A Fifty doesn’t look a true Grade 1 horse, and Solness should ensure a strong pace. There will be no hiding place in this race, and quite rightly so. I’m looking forward to seeing Marine Nationale finally get the plaudits he deserves after last season, when many questioned whether his dominance was a fluke or the real deal.
The Grade 1 novice hurdle over two miles (1.47pm) features a couple of exciting prospects, but the one I like is Joseph O’Brien’s four-year-old Talk The Talk. He quickened up impressively in Grade 3 company at Fairyhouse last time, readily accounting for the useful I’m Slippy by seven and a half lengths. He’s clearly on an upward curve and, being Flat-bred, has that bit of extra class. By Born To Sea out of a Walk In The Park mare, there’s plenty of speed in his pedigree, and I think that could prove decisive here.
The 2.22pm is a fiercely competitive two-mile handicap hurdle and a really intriguing contest. We’ve got a mix of handicap debutants and some thoroughly battle-hardened performers. I’m prepared to give a second chance to a tricky filly in Saint Lucy. She’s temperamental and not the easiest ride, but it’s impossible to ignore how impressive she was on her stable debut at Punchestown last season, when she absolutely bolted up. She was subsequently pitched into Grade 1 company, including the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham, and returned to Punchestown for another Grade 1, where she never landed a blow behind Lulamba. She can be her own worst enemy, but Paul Townend is back aboard for the first time since the Dublin Racing Festival, the hood is retained, and off a mark of 127 she could be very dangerous in handicap company, provided she’s learned to relax over the summer.
You can do the lottery over Christmas, or you can try to solve the puzzle that is the today’s valuable three-mile handicap chase (3.00pm). It’s a huge field, with plenty of fences and no shortage of danger, but I’m going to side with Willie Mullins and Paul Townend. While they don’t always dominate big handicap chases, the yard has won five of the last six renewals. I was very impressed with Captain Cody on his reappearance in the Drinmore Chase, where he finished third in Grade 1 company behind Romeo Coolio. He travelled strongly over two and a half miles, and stepping back up to three miles should only suit him better given his novice form. Carrying 11st 12lb off a mark of 150 won’t be easy, but he still looks a horse on the upgrade. Castlebawn West carried 11st 10lb to victory for this yard in 2020, and Captain Cody strikes me as a future Grand National type, he’s already won a Scottish National, and this could be an important stepping stone on the road to Aintree.
