St Stephen's Day horse racing tips for Leopardstown, Limerick and Down Royal

Irish Mirror

26 December 2023

St Stephen's Day horse racing tips for Leopardstown, Limerick and Down Royal

The Willie Mullins-trained Facile Vega should justify long odds-on favouritism in the Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Chase, today’s showpiece in Leopardstown.

With stable-jockey Paul Townend on ‘King George’ duty over in Kempton, Patrick Mullins, who won four bumpers on the gelding, is set to renew his partnership with the six-year-old, already a four-time Grade 1 winner. And Mullins won this event on Douvan back in 2015.

Facile Vega’s only defeats in ten outings came when a well-beaten fifth behind Il Etait Temps at this track in February and when failing to cope with Marine Nationale up the Cheltenham hill in the ‘Supreme Novices’ last March.

The Closutton gelding ended last season by taking the KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown.

And he returned in style when making a successful chase debut, at the expense of Grade 1 winner Inthepocket, at Navan last month, when his jumping was satisfactory, but open to improvement.

Likely to be allowed stride along in front, Facile Vega should be very tough to peg back and is expected to prove too strong for Gordon Elliott’s Found A Fifty, impressive on his chase debut in Down Royal before chasing home I Am Maximus in the Grade 1 ‘Drinmore’ at Fairyhouse.

The field is completed by Facile Vega’s multiple Grade 1-winning stable-companion Sharjah, winner of two of his three chase starts but held by Found A Fifty on ‘Drinmore’ form, and Gavin Cromwell’s smooth Cheltenham winner My Mate Mozzie.

The earlier Grade 2 Mercedes-Benz South Dublin Juvenile Hurdle affords Gordon Elliott’s Mighty Bandit an opportunity to build on the favourable impression created on his recent debut at Punchestown.

Mighty Bandit was mightily impressive, slamming Lark In The Mornin (will be fancied at Leopardstown tomorrow) in a race which has already been boosted by the victories of Harsh (third) and Pacini (fourth).

Entitled to improve from that experience, Mighty Bandit is the one to beat in a field which features no less than five challengers from Closutton, plus Nurburgring and Kala Conti, separated by a half-length in a recent Fairyhouse Grade 3 – the Elliott filly is now 7lb. better off.

Meanwhile at Limerick, with a rating of 137 and a Grade 3 success on his CV, Search For Glory sets the standard in the Lyons Of Limerick Jaguar Novice Hurdle (Grade 2), highlight of the St Stephen’s Day action in Limerick.

Winner of a bumper and highly-tried in novice hurdle company last season (he finished third to Good Land in a Grade 1 at Leopardstown and was pulled up in Cheltenham’s Albert Bartlett), the Gordon Elliott-trained six-year-old has chalked-up two wins over hurdles.

A dour stayer, he hit top gear up the Ballybrit hill when scoring by 10 lengths in October before filling third behind stable-companions Croke Park and Mel Monroe in a Grade 3 at Navan.

And, last time, he proved his stamina when outpointing Solitary Man in a Grade 3 three-miler in Cork, for which he shoulders a penalty here.

The selection must concede 3lb to chief rival Loughglynn, representing Willie Mullins and boasting a defeat of the exciting Firefox in a Naas bumper last spring, when the pair finished a long way clear of the remainder.

Ninth in the Cheltenham bumper, Loughglynn made virtually all to win his maiden hurdle by 10 lengths at Punchestown in mid-November.

He looks a potentially smart stayer and has a big shout. But Search For Glory’s experience might give him the edge.

The Henry de Bromhead-trained Picture Of You, pipped by Tactical Affair in Cork last time, is preferred to the Willie Mullins mare Jolie Coeur Allen in the Signsplus Maiden Hurdle.

The latter, fifth, when favourite in the Grade 2 bumper won by Dysart Enos at Aintree in April was beaten at 2/9 in Tramore last time when finding little and being collared late by Soldante.

And at Down Royal, the Gavin Cromwell-trained Ask Anything should take plenty of beating in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase.

Kieren Buckley’s mount failed to cope with Henn See on his recent chase debut at Clonmel, when dropping back in trip, but, back over two and a half miles here, makes plenty of appeal.

Prior to that effort, Ask Anything had won an unplaced maiden hurdle in Limerick before running a cracker, off 109, on his handicap debut at Navan, beaten three-quarters of a length by Harvard Guy.

The strength of that form is reflected in the fact that Harvard Guy followed-up, on the same track, off a 10lb. higher mark.

Ask Anything jumps well and will be suited by today’s trip. And he’s a confident choice to land the spoils, at the probabl expense of Gordon Elliott’s mare Jumping Jet and the Mullins runner MacDermott.

The undoubted highlight of the card is the Metcollect Oil Recycling Hunters Chase, in which David Christie will be four-handed, with Barry O’Neill set to partner Ferns Lock, successful on his seasonal bow in a Dromahane point-to-point.

But the standard-setter is the Emmet Mullins-trained Its On The Line, second to Premier Magic in the ‘Foxhunters’ at Cheltenham last March before falling at Aintree and, then, winning the ‘champion hunters’ at Punchestown, where he beat one of today’s rivals Vaucelet.

Beaten in his comeback run, Its On The Line won a ‘point’ at Damma House last month and should be primed for this test.

And Henry de Bromhead’s Mossy Fen Park, a ‘point’ winner for Sean Doyle and a rock-solid second to the classy Predators Gold on his ‘rules’ debut at Punchestown, might take full advantage of the 8lb. he received from Great Universe in the opening maiden hurdle.

Peter O’Hehir's tips for Leopardstown

12.00.Ascending

12.35.King Of Kingsfield

1.10.Mighty Bandit

1.45.Riyami

2.20.Facile Vega

2.55.The Big Chap

3.30.Cantico

Next Best

12.00.Anotherway

12.35.Mirazur West

1.10.Kala Conti