Dublin Racing Festival Day Two Preview

The first race of the day at Leopardstown on the second day of the highly anticipated Dublin Racing festival is the Mares Handicap and we like the look of Gavin Cromwell's Jeremys Flame.

For us, this six year old is very over priced in this field currently 10/1 with most bookmakers and having some of the strongest form on offer.

On her last three starts she has finished second with her latest performance seeing her in behind Fiddlerontheroof in the Grade One Tolworth Hurdle.

She won't be far away.

One of the bankers of the day for us comes in the first black type race on the Sunday card with the Juvenile Hurdle and the Henry De Bromhead trained Aspire Tower looks a world beater.

The course and distance winner has finished first on both his starts to date over hurdles winning at Punchestown on debut before absolutely bolting up at Leopardstown in a Grade Two.

Although he is a small price he is certainly a horse that should run his best race and may be worth adding into some multiple bets for the day.

It is raining Grade Ones at Leopardstown and in the Chanelle Pharma Novice Hurdle and Easywork for Gordon Elliott has everything going for him in this one.

The six year old is three from three this season scoring at Down Royal on his seasonal debut in a bumper before being taken over hurdle and taking to them just the same.

He won nicely at Gowran Park in a decent novice event seeing of Mt Leinster for Willie Mullins which is strong form and then when upped in trip last time out Easywork bolted up again seeing off another bright Mullins horse in Unexcepted.

He holds the leading form line and should not be far away.

The first big handicap of the day is the three mile event and with over 20 runners set to go to post.

The first is the Ronald M P McNally trained The Jam Man who landed four events during the summer in England and only bought that run to an end on New Year's Day when finishing fourth of 12 at Cheltenham.

This horse has been gambled on in the past and having previous of running over this distance in big fields should play to his strengths.

The Flogas Novice Chase is a highly contests Grade One every season and there is only one star in this field that we would back and that is the Classy Faugheen.

This 12 year old machine was one of the finest hurdlers of his era landing numerous Grade Ones including the Cheltenham and Irish Champion Hurdle.

Now as a veteran he has taken up chasing and is currently showing his previous winning form being two out of two and last time out seeing off Samcro at Limerick in a Grade One which is the form to beat.

The final black type contest of the two days is the prestigious Irish Gold Cup over three miles and we think it will be very hard to look past this Willie Mullins trained star.

Kemboy last season was just remarkable starting his season off at Clonmel in the Grade Two Oil Chase and easing to victory to suggest that this season he looks a far more mature horse.

He showed this again when stepping up to three miles in last year's contest and was brilliant landing the Grade One, beating what looked like would be his rivals in the Gold Cup.

The only mishap he made all season was in the Cheltenham contest where he was highly touted to go well for Willie Mullins but at the first fence unseated his rider David Mullins making for a huge anti-climax.

He finished the season off smartly though, having not really getting a run out at Cheltenham he went to Aintree fit as a fiddle and romped to victory in the Betway Bowl to land his second Grade One of the season.

The Punchestown Gold Cup was his final race of the season and what a race it turned out to be with both of the Mullins runners battling it out to the finish and Kemboy seeing off his stablemate Al Boum Photo to take the race.

After a delay to his season due to having new owners he went straight to the Savills Chase over course and distance where he was a decent fourth just needing the run to get 100% fit.

Now with that under his belt he should have the stamina to see this trip out at a track he loves.

The final big handicap of the two day meeting sees the two mile five furlongs Leopardstown Handicap Chase and again we have two decent price each way angles.

Joseph O'Brien is usually shrewd in these events and fields Shady Operator who has been very consistent in these types of events placing in two of these events already this season and it would be a surprise for him not to be in the frame again.

The other J P McManus owned runner at 18/1 is the Henry De Bromhead trained Minella Times who is another consistent type in these events with figures of 212 on his last three outings.

He finished just ahead of Shady Operator last time out and hopefully the form of that race is proven.

The final race of the two day meeting is the Grade Two Mares Bumper and the favourite for Gordon Elliot Bigbadandbeautiful will take some beating if on song.

The six year old mare is unbeaten on all three of her bumper runs this season including last time out at Navan when landing a tough Listed Event.

on her last two outings both the form of the races have been franked with runners in behind her going on to score next time out and she is the one to beat.