Dublin Racing Festival Day 2 Tips & Preview From Robbie Power
BoyleSports Horse Racing Ambassador Robbie Power previews the action at Leopardstown on Day 2 of the 2024 Dublin Racing Festival.
You can find Robbie Power’s preview of Day 1 at the Dublin Racing Festival here.
1.10 pm Race – Novice Chase Preview
I think it is the right decision to run Gaelic Warrior in this race. There’s a question mark over Gaelic Warrior going left-handed. I know he’s won around Leopardstown over Hurdles but that was in a handicap.
He’s been beaten twice at Cheltenham going left-handed and dropping back in trip to a fastly run two miles and the concern about going left-handed wouldn’t be ideal. So I think this is the right race for Gaelic Warrior but Willie’s got such an enormous strength and depth in this category.
Throw in Grangeclare West and Fact To File just to name but a few. I was blown away by Fact To File when he won in Navan earlier in the season so it’s a race I think Willie has a huge amount of strength and depth to and I think a race he’ll take an awful lot of beating. If Gaelic Warrior performs going left-handed like he did going right-handed he’d be very hard to beat.
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1.40 pm Race – Derby Sale Novice Hurdle Preview
I definitely think Slade Steel could challenge the top two here. He’s dropping back down to two miles. He won his maiden hurdle over two miles in Leopardstown when he beat King of Kingsfield. King of Kingsfield has boosted that form since, he was third in the Royal Bond and then won very impressively in Leopardstown at Christmas.
But Ballyburn was very, very impressive in Leopardstown at Christmas when he beat Cleatus Poolaw who has won since. He won in Naas last weekend, it was a good win of a maiden hurdle.
So that form is rock solid. But as is Slade Steel, who was a good winner. He beat Lecky Watson over two and a half. It probably is a thing with Slade Steel where his optimum trip is two and a half miles, but dropping back down to two miles before Cheltenham is not a bad idea. And I think he’d run a very, very big race, you know.
Ballyburn held him well in a bumper in Punchestown last season, so he’s got a bit to find with Ballyburn.
But he’s two from two over hurdles and hopefully it’s onwards and upwards. I think Ballyburn will start favourite. He’s probably the likely winner of the race, he’s probably the classiest horse over this trip in the race, but it’ll be interesting to see how Stade Steel performs with the drop back down in trip.
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2.10 pm Race – Dublin Chase Preview
This is only El Fabiolo‘s second start out of novice company. He was very impressive in Cork when he beat Fil Dor in the Hilly Way Chase. But this is much deeper water.
Dinoblue was very, very impressive at Christmas when she beat Gentleman De Mee. She gets the mares allowance. She’s a mare improving rapidly so she could give El Fabiolo plenty to think about.
Captain Guinness was obviously massively disappointing at Christmas but there were legitimate excuses for that. But he needs to bounce back and he was very good in the Fortria in Navan on his first start this season when he beat Riviere D’etel so he will be very, very hard to beat.
Of the other two, Captain Guinness and Dinoblue. Who’s going to give them most to do? Probably on their last runs, Dinoblue.
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2.45 pm Race – Irish Champion Hurdle Preview
I think State Man will be very, very hard to beat, but there is the fly in the ointment of Bob Olinger, who was very, very impressive over two and a half miles in Cheltenham on New Year’s Day when he beat Marie’s Rock very, very easily.
He needs to take a huge step forward on that to trouble State Man and dropping back down to the minimum trip probably isn’t ideal for Bob Olinger, but he’s unexposed at this trip and could prove some sort of challenge.
He’s a horse that shows plenty of pace in his races and quickens up well over two and a half miles. Can he produce that over two? I think if he does produce that over two miles, he could shake up the favourite. It’ll be an interesting race to watch.
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