Irish Preview: Dublin Racing Festival Day 2

The Spring Juvenile Hurdle gets the Grade 1 action under way at 13.15 and brings together some of the top Irish four-year-old hurdlers. Last year’s race was fought out by Mr Adjudicator and Farclas, the pair who went on to dominate the Triumph Hurdle where the Gordon Elliott-trained Farclas turned the tables. Elliott has the top two on ratings here with Chief Justice and Coeur Sublime who were separated by just a short head when they met in a Grade 3 at Fairyhouse in early-December. Chief Justice’s greater hurdling experience tipped the balance when conceding weight there, whereas a rematch between the pair in the Knight Frank Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown later in the month looked like going Coeur Sublime’s way, but he fell at the last when about to take the lead. Coeur Sublime has the greater scope for improvement of the Elliott pair, and this looks a good chance for him to return to winning ways.

Rocky Blue wins the Grade 2 Knight Frank Juvenile Hurdle after a dramatic fall at the last from Coeur Sublime #Leopardstown #RTEracing pic.twitter.com/0dHWUhgyl8

— RTÉ Racing (@RTEracing) 26 December 2018

O'Brien holds a strong hand

Joseph O’Brien puts up some interesting rivals, headed by Gardens of Babylon who beat the Elliott filly Surin in a maiden at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve before going down by just a nose to the same rival, conceding her plenty of weight, at Fairyhouse last month. He’s a danger, particularly if brushing up his jumping, while Sir Erec, who was smart on the Flat, looked a good recruit to hurdling when beating Tiger Tap Tap a neck in a big field of maidens over this course and distance just over a month ago.

Next up it’s the Chanelle Pharma Novices’ Hurdle at 13.50. The one who sets the standard here is Aramon who made it three out of five over hurdles for Willie Mullins when an impressive ten-length winner of the Future Champions Novices’ Hurdle here in December, showing a smart turn of foot at the end of a truly-run race.

However, that wasn’t a particularly competitive renewal of the Grade 1, and it could pay to take a chance on something stepping up in grade. One who wouldn’t need to improve much at all is Aramon’s stable-companion Klassical Dream who mixed it in good company in France last season and made light of more than a year’s absence to win a maiden over this course and distance at the Christmas meeting. Fourth in the same race was Vision d’Honneur, making his hurdling debut for Gigginstown (having been bought for €350,000 off the Flat in France), who has since won a similar event in really good style at Punchestown. Both can improve again, but Klassical Dream should have the edge again here.

Can she do it again?

Some exciting novices line up for the Flogas Novices’ Chase at 15.00 where added interest from Britain is provided by La Bague Au Roi who kept her unbeaten chasing record intact for Warren Greatrex when landing the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day in typically game fashion. That was over three miles, but her earlier wins were over shorter trips and she looks sure to be a tough opponent for her male rivals. The Gordon Elliott-trained Delta Work is likewise unbeaten in three starts over fences, and he too comes here after a Grade 1 success over three miles, having comfortably landed the odds in the Neville Hotels Novices’ Chase here in December from Mortal. Delta Work’s earlier beating of Le Richebourg over two and a half miles in the Drinmore at Fairyhouse looks really good form too, and last year’s Pertemps Final winner looks the one to beat.

Class act - Delta Work is made to work but is much the best, and remains unbeaten over fences by winning the Grade 1 Neville Hotels Novice Chase for @gelliott_racing at @LeopardstownRC... pic.twitter.com/ovBb1qkyRc

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) 29 December 2018

It’s by no means a two-horse race, however, as Winter Escape also completed a hat-trick last time, conceding weight all round, when successful in a Grade 3 novice at Punchestown last month. He was friendless in the betting on that occasion after a break but shouldn’t be underestimated here, for all that this will be his biggest test yet over fences.

The Irish Gold Cup, due off at 15.35, looks well worth waiting for as few can be ruled out in a race where most of the ten runners are covered by just seven pounds on Timeform ratings. Most of these met last time in a cracking renewal of the Savills Chase here in December won impressively by Kemboy. He’s a regrettable absentee, but that leaves a wide-open contest.  Last year’s Flogas winner Monalee was seven and a half lengths behind Kemboy in second, just in front of the previous year’s winner Road To Respect, but it could be the latter who fares better of that pair this time as he did very well to overcome a bad stumble (yellow cap in the video below) approaching the second last before keeping on well.

The other takeaway from what was a very messy Savills Chase was the horrendous run through that Road To Respect had. He lost significant ground after stumbling on two separate occasions, then had no real room until approaching the last fence. Big effort to nearly grab second. pic.twitter.com/rqLHvNB0mY

— Kevin Blake (@kevinblake2011) 28 December 2018

Wide-margin winner of the Champion Chase at Down Royal earlier in the season, Road To Respect will be at home on the forecast good ground and he can land another big prize for Noel Meade. Even without Kemboy, Willie Mullins has a strong hand, particularly if conditions soften, as that would be very much in Bellshill’s favour, fourth in the Savills Chase, as it would for Al Boum Photo, a heavy-ground winner twice last season when he had his ups and downs – not all his own fault -  but made an impressive return to action in a listed chase at Tramore on New Year’s Day.

Edwulf was a surprise winner of a dramatic Irish Gold Cup twelve months ago when others came to grief, and he looks to have his work cut out in a bid for a repeat victory judged on his eighth-place finish in the Savills Chase, while the Elliott pair Outlander and The Storyteller, fifth and sixth respectively on that occasion, are others held by Road To Respect. Anibale Fly fell in this last year before going on to make the frame in both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National and he should be somewhere nearer his best having had a pipe-opener over an inadequate trip at Cork in December. Last year’s Ryanair Chase winner Balko des Flos has largely fallen well short of that form since and he needs to bounce back more than most after shaping as if amiss in the Savills Chase.

Recommended bets:

Back Coeur Sublime to win the Spring Juvenile Hurdle

Back Klassical Dream to win the Chanelle Pharma Novices’ Hurdle

Back Delta Work to win the Flogas Novices’ Chase

Back Road To Respect to win the Irish Gold Cup