The entries for the early closing races at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival were released today 30th November. There is a feast of top class racing in store at Leopardstown, which runs, from Saturday December 26th to Tuesday December 29th inclusive.
Sizing Europe, one of the most exciting novice chasers in the country, is on track for the Grade 1 inforthenight.ie Novices’ Chase at Leopardstown on St Stephen’s Day, the feature race on Day 1 of the annual four-day Christmas Festival.
The Henry de Bromhead-trained gelding, winner of the Toshiba Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown in 2008, has been scintillating in all three of his runs over fences to date.
"He’s in great form," said de Bromhead this morning. "He came out of his last race at Punchestown well, he looks great, and it’s all systems go for Leopardstown now. It’s a great place, it’s a lovely track, you can get some nice ground there even in December, and we’re hoping for a big run."
Champion trainer Willie Mullins has entered no fewer than seven horses in the race, including the exciting Sports Line, impressive winner of his only race to date over fences. The 2008 Cheltenham Festival Bumper winner Cousin Vinny, who has yet to jump a fence in public, is also entered. While Edward O’Grady looks set to be represented by at least one of his top novices, Pesoto or Osana.
It looks like Big Zeb will be back for more in the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase on Sunday 27th December. Colm Murphy’s gelding, an impressive winner of the race last year on his seasonal debut, has already had a run this term, recording a facile victory in the Grade 2 Fortria Chase at Navan on his debut. He holds an engagement in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown this Saturday, but Leopardstown is very much on his radar again.
Fellow Tingle Creek probable and last year’s Arkle winner, Forpadydeplasterer, also holds an entry in the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase, as do Barker, Mansony, Watson Lake and sole British raider Twist Magic from the Paul Nicholls yard.
Dunguib tops the list of entries for the Paddypowerpoker.com Future Champion Novices’ Hurdle on the same day. The Philip Fenton-trained gelding was one of the most impressive winners ever of the Cheltenham Festival Bumper last March, and he has looked good in winning his two starts to date over hurdles with minimum fuss. He will probably have old adversaries Sweeps Hill and Some Present for company again in a contest that should definitively determine the relative merits of the Irish novice hurdlers.
Lochan Lacha heads the sponsors’ betting for a wide open Paddy Power Chase, also on Sunday. The Tony Martin-trained gelding, an impressive winner of a novices’ handicap chase at the Irish Grand National meeting at Fairyhouse last April, is one of a number of entries that catch the eye. The Willie Mullins-trained mare Pomme Tiepy, Askthemaster, trained by race specialist Robert Tyner, and Paddy Pub, third in the Munster National at Limerick in October, as well as the two British entries, Nycteos from the Paul Nicholls yard, and Skippers Brig, representing Nicky Richards are also entered.
Nicky Richards is also represented by Money Trix in the Lexus Chase on Monday 27th December, a race that has been won in the past by such luminaries as Imperial Call, Dorans Pride, Beef Or Salmon, Best Mate and Denman. The grey son of Old Vic is nine now, but he is lightly raced and he looked good in winning a Grade 2 graduation chase at Carlisle on his most recent start.
Joncol looks set to head up the home defence. A progressive novice chaser last season, trainer Paul Nolan resisted the temptation to bring him to Cheltenham in March, and the six-year-old gelding shaped with a great deal of promise when he finished second to subsequent Paddy Power Gold Cup winner Tranquil Sea in a Grade 3 race at Naas at the end of October.
The Charles Byrnes trained Weapon’s Amnesty is on track for the Knight Frank Novice Chase on 28th December. Winner of the Albert Bartlett Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival last March, the Gigginstown House Stud’s gelding got off the mark over fences when running out a game winner of a three-mile novices’ chase at Newcastle on Saturday. As well as Weapon’s Amnesty, this race has attracted some of the best staying novice chasers in the country, including Alpha Ridge, Whatuthink, Pandorama and Pesoto.
The list of entries for the Leopardstown Golf December Festival Hurdle on the final day of the meeting, 29th December, contains all the top two-mile hurdlers in Ireland, including last year’s most exciting novice Hurricane Fly. The Willie Mullins-trained gelding could only finish third behind Solwhit and Muirhead in a Grade 1 contest at Punchestown on his debut this season, but he remains a horse of immense talent.
Also among the list of entries are the two horses that finished in front of Hurricane Fly at Punchestown, Aintree Hurdle winner Solwhit, and the Noel Meade-trained Muirhead, second to Brave Inca in the Toshiba Champion Hurdle last January; also entered are Muirhead’s stable companion, Saturday’s impressive Fighting Fifth Hurdle winner Go Native, Colm Murphy’s exciting mare Voler La Vedette and past Champion Hurdle heroes Hardy Eustace and Sublimity.
Paddy Power Chase – Paddy Power Bet:
9-1 Lochan Lacha, 10 Pomme Tiepy, Nycteos, 12 Ask The Master, Orpheus Valley, 14 Oscar Looby, Casey Supreme, Ballytrim, Paddy Pub, Oscar Time, Operation Houdini, 16 Judge Deed, Bringbackthebiff, Dooneys Gate, Kings Advocate, Bronx Girl, 20 Dashing George, Dante Hall, Financial Reward, Killenaule Boy, Shazand, Florida Express, Newbay Prop, Hoopy, Plaisir D’Estruval, Prince Roco, Sir Johnny, Hold The Pin, Leanne, Skippers Brig, Polmar, Glenquest, 25 Queiros Bleu, Parsons Pistol, Raven’s Run, Lasse Viern, Southern Vic, Siegemaster, Jaamid, Old Si, Hume River, Nipper John, High Fidelitay, Topofthemornintou, Jack Finch, Rathmore Castle, 33 Gungadu, Back on the Road, Lord Cebellino, Bella Mana Mou, Scavenger, Guts For Garters, Selection Box, The Last Derby, 50 L’Ami, Justpourit, News Item, 66 Beantown
List of Entries available at the following link: Paddy Power Chase