Who To Follow On Day Two Of The Dublin Racing Festival 2023

James Mackie | @jamesmackieee

Fri 03 Feb 2023 16.04

Leopardstown 13:40

Mighty Potter

J: Davy Russell

T: Gordon Elliott

N/A

Age: 6

Weight: 11-10

OR: 160

Days: 63

Mighty Potter is certainly the right favourite for this event and with the race falling apart with other runners going elsewhere he only takes on five other runners

Two time Grade One winning hurdler last season in the Royal Bond and in the Punchestown Champion Novice Hurdle, he was sent chasing this term and is unbeaten run in both his runs, progressing for each run.

He started at Down Royal when not jumping all that great but showed the engine he had to win fairly easily.

Stepped up into the Grade One Drinmore last time out he took on a good field to win fairly easily close home and if improving again he is the one to beat.

2m5f should not be a problem for him but James Du Berlais has to be watched, but overall Mighty Potter should have the edge.

Form: 1P111View

Date	Course	Distance	Type	Weight	Position
16/03/23	CHL	20	Sft	11-7	3
05/02/23	LEO	21	Y	11-10	1
04/12/22	FAI	20	Sft	11-12	1
04/11/22	DRO	19.5	Y/Sft	11-12	1
26/04/22	PUN	16.5	Gd/Y	11-12	1

It is hard to look past the majority of Willie Mullins' runners, but after what will probably be a good day one of the Dublin Racing Festival for the trainer, Gordon Elliot could have a brilliant weekend as well.

In the opener, he fields Liberty Dance who is on course to make it 3/3 after impressing on her last two outings. Elliot then sees himself having the well-fancied favourite in the next in Mighty Potter.

The horse is currently unbeaten over fences and looks to have another great chance of more success here.

The weekend and day two of the DRF Festival could get even better for the trainer as he runs Indigo Breeze in the Grade A Leopardstown Handicap Chase.

This grey gelding could be a danger to all of his other rivals as this will be his first time in a handicap chase. He has to enter calculations in what looks like a very open affair.

Irish Point is his only runner in the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle, but a horse who has made steady progress and could potentially give the favourite Facile Vega something to think about.

Gordon Elliot heads into the Dublin Racing Festival sporting a strike rate of just 11% for the last two weeks, but things will surely change as this poor run cannot continue for a trainer as good as him.

Paul Townend has a more than decent book of rides across Sunday afternoon at Leopardstown that should at least see him in the winners enclosure on a couple of occasions.

His first fancied ride of the afternoon comes in the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Novice Chase with Gaillard Du Mesnil looking to show just how good he is and then in the Dublin Chase, he teams up with Mullins again on Blue Lord.

He is one of the younger horses in the lineup who seems to be improving all the time and is also a multiple Grade 1 winner over fences.

Townend rides the hugely exciting State Man in one of the most anticipated races of the weekend in the Irish Champion Hurdle as it will be fascinating to see him up against stablemate Vauban again and the Queen of National Hunt Racing, Honeysuckle.

After that, he may not stop there as he rides the unbeaten Facile Vega and then quickly after gets on Gaelic Warrior in a handicap hurdle over 2 miles.

He should have a terrific weekend at the Dublin Racing Festival and currently heads into this weekend with a strike rate of 50% in the last 14 days.