Jane Mangan’s William Hill blog: Dublin Racing Festival Preview

William Hill ambassador Jane Mangan is here to preview two days of high-quality action from the Dublin Racing Festival.

It’s worth noting that at the 2024 Dublin Racing Festival, we saw 11 subsequent Cheltenham Festival winners, but only four of them won at the DRF. We are going to learn a lot this weekend but be mindful that many of these fields are very deep. They may well prove a useful indicator for the Cheltenham Festival, so don’t give up on something if it is beaten this weekend with a view to the future.

William Hill are Best Odds Guaranteed from 8am daily across all UK and Irish racing.

Saturday, Leopardstown

We start with the juvenile hurdle (1:50pm). This race has produced three former Triumph Hurdle winners in recent years—Vauban, Quilixios and Our Conor. Last year, Majborough ran in this race and finished third before winning the Triumph at the Festival. I think this time around, it is going to be Hello Neighbour who breaks the sequence of Willie Mullins wins. The Gavin Cromwell-trained four-year-old is a half-brother to A Wave Of The Sea, who won this race in 2020. A hood is applied to help him settle, and I think, given that he made his hurdling debut in a Grade Two, that may well excuse the fact that he jumped quite poorly. With more scope for improvement than most, I think Hello Neighbour will remain unbeaten by winning the Grade One juvenile hurdle.

It is hard to be confident in a selection in a 26-runner handicap hurdle over three miles (2:25pm), but as confidence goes, it is hard to look beyond Meetingofthewaters here. He is rated 148 over fences but gets in here carrying bottom weight due to his rating of 112 over hurdles—he looks very well treated. This is his first hurdle start since joining Willie Mullins, and the booking of Rachael Blackmore is a huge asset, considering Mark Walsh can’t make the weight. I would be very confident that Meetingofthewaters can beat his 25 rivals here.

The Irish Arkle (2:55pm) is next. For the last four years, it has gone to Closutton, and I can see it being another for Willie Mullins, as I like Majborough. He impressed me on his chase debut, beating Tullyhill and Asian Master resolutely when making all at Fairyhouse. He jumped like a professional that day. He made his stable debut at this meeting last year before improving to win the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. I think Ile Atlantique and Firefox are worthy opponents, but Majborough, for me, has that star quality. He can win the Arkle at the festival—I think he will take the Irish one on the way to doing so.

The big one on Saturday is the Irish Gold Cup (3:30pm). I can see Fact To File getting closer to the reigning champion, Galopin Des Champs, but I don’t think he will beat him around Leopardstown. He could even beat him at the Cheltenham Festival, but the Galopin Des Champs we see at Leopardstown is the best possible version of himself. It is not the most original pick, but if he were to win a third Irish Gold Cup, he would become just the fourth horse to achieve the feat. I can’t see past him doing so.

The final race on the opening day of the DRF is a two-mile bumper (4:35pm). It is fair to say that Gordon Elliott has had the best bumper horses so far this season, as Willie Mullins has yet to really release a bumper winner of considerable note. I don’t think that is going to change here, as I like He Can’t Dance for Gordon Elliott, who has three running in the Gigginstown colours. I think Harry Swan has picked correctly, and I was really impressed with his win at Navan. He is by Jukebox Jury and looks to be a very, very exciting prospect. We have seen Cheltenham Festival bumper winners pick this race up on the way to the festival—two years ago with A Dream To Share and three years ago with Facile Vega. Let’s see if we find the Cheltenham bumper winner at Leopardstown.

Sunday, Leopardstown

We kick off Sunday’s action with the Paddy and Maureen Mullins Handicap Hurdle (12:40pm). It is amazing that Willie Mullins has never managed to win the race named after his parents. However, this time around, I think he is going to get that win courtesy of Straight Home. Stable jockey Paul Townend is down to his minimum riding weight—10 stone four pounds—to get aboard her here. She does not have much form in the book, but I think this mare has been laid out for this race to achieve Willie’s first win in it. There are many important races for Willie Mullins, but this might be his most important winner of the weekend.

The first Grade One contest on Sunday is the two-mile-five-furlong novice chase (1:10pm), which looks a fascinating race. The roll of honour for this race is full of superstars—it was won last year by Fact To File and three years ago by Galopin Des Champs, who are both at the top of the market for the Irish Gold Cup. This looks like a strong renewal once again. Ballyburn’s place at the head of the market is justified, but against him, I am going with a horse I can see outrunning his odds—Better Days Ahead. I think he was a very good winner of the Martin Pipe when he beat Waterford Whispers at the Cheltenham Festival. He beat Slade Steel in his beginners’ chase in November before finishing an unlucky second to Croke Park over Christmas. I think this track and trip are going to be ideal, and Danny Gilligan could have a big day on Better Days Ahead.

The Grade One novice hurdle over two miles (1:40pm) is next. I like Kopek Des Bordes. He is an unoriginal choice, but I could not believe this horse managed to win at Christmas despite pulling, hanging and jumping all over the shop. He must be very good because the second horse, Kawaboomga, has since franked the form. Paul Townend had the choice of many in this race, and he has stuck with Kopek Des Bordes. He won this race last year with Ballyburn before winning at Cheltenham. He won it with Appreciate It before he went on to win the Supreme, and I think the selection could be a leading chance for one of the novice hurdles at the festival. It is Kopek Des Bordes for me.

The Ladbrokes Dublin Chase (2:10pm) sees eight horses declared, and I think Marine Nationale, for Barry Connell, can stop the Willie Mullins juggernaut. I’m worried about the favourite, Gaelic Warrior—he sports a tongue strap, and I think he needs softer ground. I also think El Fabiolo may need the run, as this is the first time we’ve seen him since April. Marine Nationale ran a very good race behind Solness at Christmas and is coming back to the boil. The ground will suit him, and I can see a big run here.

The Irish Champion Hurdle (3:20pm) is not a big field, but it is going to be tactically fascinating. State Man bids to emulate Honeysuckle and Hurricane Fly by making it three wins in the race. Paul Townend might have remained loyal, but I am jumping ship—Lossiemouth has the benefit of a 7lb allowance, as well as being sharper, fitter, and better for the experience against Constitution Hill in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton. It’s Lossiemouth for me to dethrone State Man, the champion, in the Irish Champion Hurdle.

A big field of 22 runners has been assembled for the two-mile handicap hurdle (3:50pm). I like James’s Gate for Derek O’Connor and Martin Brassil. It’s eye-catching that Derek O’Connor has been booked by the same connections who secured him for the ride on Fastorslow in the John Durkan at Punchestown over Christmas. Third in the Cheltenham Champion Bumper of 2022, when trained by Willie Mullins, he looked to have lost his way a bit. However, he has looked back to his best since moving to Martin Brassil and was very good at Navan last time when beating C’Est Ta Chance. This is his handicap debut, and he looks well in off a mark of 136. To me, the well-named James’s Gate can make it three wins in a row.

To end the two days of quality action, we have a two-mile bumper for mares (4:25pm). Carrigmoornaspruce has been very impressive in her two bumper wins at Naas and Leopardstown. I thought she was inconvenienced by the way the race was run most recently at Leopardstown. She could be marked up for how she quickened from the back of the field off a slow pace, and I think she represents value here, given that her connections are very astute in these types of races. It’s Carrigmoornaspruce in the mares’ bumper to end the Dublin Racing Festival.