Dublin Racing Festival 2023 Day One Preview

The first race of the afternoon at Leopardstown on Saturday is the Grade One Nathaniel Lacy Novice Hurdle over 2m6f and we are siding with the Barry Connell trained Good Land.

Although he unseating on hurdles debut this season at Fairyhouse when just pecking on landing at the first that can be put behind him because what he did at Leopardstown over Christmas was special and the form has worked out accordingly.

Winning over 2m4f at Leopardstown over Christmas he went on to beat a good field by eight lengths, with the big form boost coming from Embassy Gardens who he beat by close to 10 lengths.

Embassy Gardens has since gone on to score over 2m7f at Thurles beating a field by 35 lengths and he is now the second favourite for the Albert Bartlett.

Good Land beat that horse doing handstands and the extra two furlongs on Saturday looks no problem from the way he went away from the field last time out.

Any of the horses in this race have a chance, but we are hoping there is much more progression to come from this gelding.

Possibly one of the bankers on day one of the Dublin Racing Festival comes from the Spring Juvenile Hurdle with Lossiemouth looking to land the first Grade One of her career.

Lossiemouth is a very short price for the Grade One Spring juvenile Hurdle but we don’t think she will get beat, especially with Blood Destiny not turning up and it looking very difficult to see Gala Marceau reversing the form.

Tekao won’t want to effect his mark for the Boodles at the festival, so the only one who might be the left field of running a big race is Gust OF Wind who follows a similar path to Il Etait Temps having his first run under Mullins and the owners in this Grade One having been bought from France.

However, from what Lossiemouth has done to date winning both the Grade Three at Fairyhouse and Grade Two at Leopardstown over Christmas in good fashion with both races turning into sprints, she has shown her versatility in how she can race and that 7lb allowance is just everything.

Short price but can’t see her getting beat.

Another superb Grade One event on the afternoon is the Irish Arkle where Willie Mullins fields five of the eight runners and we are siding with the 2021 Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner Appreciate It.

Second in the 2020 Champion Bumper to stablemate Ferny Hollow, the eight year old has had a perfect career since, thriving since going over hurdles.

Handily winning his maiden at Cork, he was swiftly moved onto graded company and duly obliged by winning the Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Travelling strongly throughout, he established his lead, bypassing the last and skipped clear on the run-in to victory. 

He them backed that run up over the same course and distance at the Dublin Racing Festival, fending off the challenge of Ballyadam to take Grade One honours again. 

Appreciate It was then seen making it a hat-trick of Grade Ones when breezing clear in the 2021 Supreme Novices' Hurdle to win by 24 lengths.

Set to go chasing last term a set back scuppered those plans, with Mullins stating he would stay over hurdles with the Champion Hurdle a key target.

Making his seasonal debut in the race was always going to leave him with a lot to find and it worked out that way when tailing off into seventh.

This season he finally made his seasonal debut over fences at Punchestown when beating Top Bandit by an easy seven lengths.

Although harbouring a 6lb penalty next time out he won as easy as he likes, albeit the race did fall apart, but he he jumps well, he has bundles of pace and is just a class act.

He looks better than ever after his setback last year and the yard don't have a bad word to say about him.

The feature race on day one of the afternoon is the Grade One Irish Gold Cup and another Willie Mullins shortie is set to land with Galopin Des Champs looking to prove he stays the three miles over fences.

From what this gelding has shown so far he has got the lot, he jumps incredibly, he has pace to get away from the field but he has also has shown stamina being a three mile Grade One winner over hurdles.

He should be unbeaten over fences if it wasn’t for that freak fall in the Turners last year, his two wins at Leopardstown last season were breath taking especially in Grade One company at the DRF and then he finished last season by landing the Gold Cup Novice Chase at Fairyhouse.

On his seasonal debut this season he showed us he settled better, jumped more economically and just looked gagging for a step in trip when making a mockery of the Grade One John Durkan Chase field.

The further he goes the better he will be in our opinion and although short we can’t even find anything to take him on with because he is just a superstar.

Stattler should grab second and the forecast would be a recommended bet.

The first handicap event of the afternoon sees the three mile Handicap Hurdle and with 18 runners going to post and extra places on offer we have played two horses to hit the frame.

The first is the Gordon Elliott trained Maxxum who since joining Gordon Elliott in October the gelding has gone from strength to strength, making an exciting seasonal debut when second over 2m 4 1/2f at Punchestown in a 21 runner handicap off a mark of 99.

Being seen next at Navan in a similar event off 103, he got off the mark for the season in a big way landing the big fielded handicap by nine lengths, with the step up in trip to 2m6f playing to his strengths.

Raised to a mark of 120 for his run over Christmas when running in a qualifier for the Cheltenham event, he absolutely bolted up by 16 lengths to make a mockery of the field and his handicap mark.

Upped 18lb for his run on Saturday to a mark of 138 we will find out just how good he really is but from how he has won to date he will take it in his stride and Cian Murphy taking off 7lb will be a plus.

For the same trainer Gordon Elliott, at a bigger price Sam's Choice could play apart in the race on the step up to three miles.

Running to a good standard all season in Maiden Hurdles, he made his handicap debut last time out at Leopardstown over Christmas and went on to score easily off a mark of 116.

That came over 2m4f that day but the way he stayed on throughout the race suggested the step up to three miles might bring more improvement and only 7lb higher he could be a player for a yard that do well in the handicap events at this meeting.

The only Handicap Chase of the day comes next over 2m1f and again with 12 runners heading to post we have picked out two runners for the same connections that should go close.

The shorter of the two in price is the Mouse Morris trained Get My Drift who was a smart hurdler but this year has been sent chasing and looks made for handicap events.

Making his chase debut at Navan when only nine lengths back in third behind the talented Hollow Games, he then ran his worst race of the season when upped in trip at Punchestown.

Last time out he got back to form when chasing home Appreciate It and Top Bandit into third and given a handicap mark of 130 of the back of those runs could potentially see him well in.

Having ran well in handicap hurdles off 131 and 133, if putting it all together on Saturday he has a big chance.

Another for JP McManus that has a sniff is last year's winner of the race A Wave Of The Sea, who is now back down to a much more feasible mark.

Having won the race last year he has been run over further to get his mark down for this race and now back down to his preferred trip off only 2lb higher than when he won this race last year, he looks to have been set up for the race again and has come for some market support.

7lb Claimer Aidan Kelly could be the difference on him aswell.

In the final event of the day we see some very promising youngsters head to post for the Grade Two Future Stars Bumper and although Willie Mullins has won this race with some nice types in the past including Facile Vega last year, we are siding with the Gordon Elliott trained Better Days Ahead to land the spoils.

Bought for £350,000 by Bective Stud off the back of winning a PTP at Lisronagh, he was given to Gordon Elliott and has been seen twice to date in bumpers.

Making his rules debut at Down Royal when odds on favourite he went on to finish second to the smart Carnfunnock, with Jamie Codd maybe thinking he had more in the tank that day.

Improving for that first experience, he showed his true potential next time out at Fairyhouse in December when seeing off the highly touted Chapeau De Soleil for Willie Mullins by close to four lengths and that sets the form standard for me.

Mullins has some nice chances in the race but this lad looks to be the most promising.