Grade 1 feast to savour at Leopardstown Christmas Festival

Six big races over three day meeting

Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival from today, St Stephen's Day 26th December to Monday 29th is one of the highlights of the racing calendar and has been part of the social and sporting scene over the holiday period for generations of families.

The quality of racing is superb with six Grade 1 contests spread over the four days.

Friday 26th December

Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Chase (2m1f)

The very exciting Romeo Coolio will be one of the main drawcards on St Stephen’s Day. He is 2-2 over fences and ran out an easy winner of the Grade 1 Drinmore Chase at Fairyhouse at the end of November over 3f further. A Grade 1 winner over hurdles at this meeting a year ago, he represents trainer Gordon Elliott whose team has been red-hot of late and he rates an odds-on chance in betting markets.

Salvator Mundi, trained by Willie Mullins, has a convincing victory over Romeo Coolio on his CV, but that was over hurdles at Aintree in the spring. On his chasing debut he finished second at Thurles a month ago at odds of 1-7, but he will likely benefit for the experience.

July Flower, from the Henry de Bromhead stable, is another 2-2 since going over fences and scored at Cheltenham in a Grade 2 last time out.

From the Curragh yard of Eddie and Patrick Harty, Irish Panther is lurking under the radar having won by a wide margin on his only novice chase start at Naas last month.

Saturday 27th December

Grade 1 Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase (2m1f)

Last season’s champion chaser Marine Nationale is on course to make a much-anticipated return. He finished third in this race last year when it was his second run of the campaign and trainer Barry Connell has left the impression that his stable star might just benefit for this outing. His class is undoubted, however.

One-two in the Grade 1 Hilly Way Chase at Cork earlier in December, Found A Fifty, trained by Gordon Elliott and Majborough, from the Willie Mullins team, are set to renew rivalry. The jumping by Majborough on that occasion was the subject of enormous scrutiny so it will be interesting to see how he fares returned to a course and distance at which he has Grade 1 winning form. Found A Fifty, meanwhile, is a seasoned campaigner, a Grade 1 and five times a Grade 2 winner over fences, although he pulled up in this race a year ago.

Trained by Joseph O’Brien, Solness made all to win this race in foggy conditions last year, and seems likely to make a repeat bid, as will another former winner, Dinoblue successful in 2023 and stabled with Willie Mullins.

Gavin Cromwell’s mare Only By Night, runner-up as an outsider in the Grade 1 Arkle Trophy Chase at Cheltenham last season, arrives having battled hard to land a Grade 3 at Naas last month. Former champion chaser Energumene, a six-time Grade 1 winner and days away from his 12th birthday, is also in contention.

Grade 1 Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle (2m)

This race has been the exclusive domain of Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott over the past decade: six winners for Willie and four for Gordon. It should therefore come as no surprise that this year’s renewal is stacked with contenders from the same big-hitting yards.

Mullins prepares the top three in the early betting headed by French import Le Devin Enfant who bolted up by over 20 lengths on his Irish debut last month at Thurles. Love Me Tender, carrying the JP McManus silks, is unbeaten after three runs in a bumper, maiden hurdle and Grade 3 novice hurdle by an aggregate of over 30 lengths. Sortudo is the other Mullins envoy, an easy maiden hurdle winner at Cork a month ago.

Elliott’s challenge, at this stage, rests between Skylight Hustle, a runaway maiden hurdle scorer at Fairyhouse, and Koktail Brut, a narrow but gutsy winner of the Grade 2 Bar 1 Betting Royal Bond Novice Hurdle late in November.

Two more runners, both 2-2 unbeaten under rules, catch the eye: Joseph O’Brien’s Talk The Talk, a Grade 3 winner last time out and supplemented here at a cost of €10,000. The other is Henry de Bromhead’s Mister Pessimistic, a convincing maiden hurdle winner at Cork on his latest start.

Sunday 28th December

Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle (2m7f80y)

Teahupoo and Ballyburn served up one of the races of the season thus far when only a nose separated them in the Bar 1 Betting Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse at the end of November and another clash is on the cards, even if slow ground conditions appear necessary for the former, trained by Gordon Elliott, to take his chance.

Ballyburn, meanwhile, trained by Willie Mullins has a perfect 3-3 record at the Foxrock track, including Grade 1s over hurdles and fences, and shades favouritism in current antepost lists.

Successful in 2022 and 2024, Home By The Lee, trained by Joseph O’Brien, seeks to make it a hat-trick of victories in this race, while the horse who chased him home a year ago, Bob Olinger, the subsequent Stayers’ Hurdle champion at Cheltenham, is another on the comeback trail for his handler Henry de Bromhead.

Gordon Elliott has also engaged The Yellow Clay, a Grade 2 runner-up on his return and a Grade 1 winning novice hurdler last season and also a close second at the same level at the Cheltenham Festival.

Grade 1 Savills Chase (3m100y)

The centrepiece of the entire meeting with the mighty Galopin Des Champs seeking the glory for the third consecutive year. If he proves successful, he will join Beef Or Salmon as its only triple winner.

Perhaps the most formidable opponent standing in his way is Inothewayurthinkin who denied Galopin Des Champs a trio of Cheltenham Gold Cups back in March and did so emphatically by six lengths.

Inothewayurthinkin enters the race on the back of a pipe-opener in the Grade 1 John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown last month, a race that Galopin Des Champs missed owing to a minor training setback. The previous victories by Galopin Des Champs in this race both arrived on the back of a seasonal debut in the John Durkan.

Advance betting has the pair as 2-1 joint favourites, but triple Grade 1 winner Fastorslow will be out to upset notions of a two-horse race.

Monday 29th December

Grade 1 December Hurdle (2m)

Two mares are in primary focus here. Lossiemouth, in the care of Willie Mullins, winner of her last three starts, all at Grade 1 level and she was very good when returning in the Unibet Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown last month.

Her principal opposition, certainly according to the market, appears to be last year’s winner by 30 lengths, Brighterdaysahead, representing Gordon Elliott and owners Gigginstown. Brighterdaysahead is also entered for a beginners chase at Leopardstown on December 27 and the change of heart, sending her back over hurdles, may well be instructive especially as her supplementary entry has cost €15,000.

Anzadam, also trained by Mullins, ran second in the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle last month and is likely to come on for that run, while Elliott has Wodhooh, a Grade 2 scorer at Ascot in November, as another ace in his pack.

Beyond the racing, the festival, renowned for its lively social atmosphere, will feature live music in the festival marquee over the four days from Ibiza Social, Johnny Cash tribute band - Walk The Line, Mixed Tape, and Risky Business.

The Paddy Power ‘From The Horse’s Mouth’ preview takes place at 11.15am every morning, also in the Festival Marquee.

TV presenter Meghann Scully will act as Christmas fashion style spotter on Sunday 28th December.

Visit www.leopardstown.com for more information.