Drop In For Look at Dublin Racing Festival!
What a feast of racing and sport we have to enjoy on the first weekend of spring. The six nations kicks off today but it is the Dublin Racing festival that is the main event this Saturday.
The rescheduled lost Cheltenham trials day races are split between Wetherby and Sandown which offers excellent backup racing to Leopardstown not to mention the Musselburgh action. The best handicap of the day is the 22 runner Ladbrokes handicap hurdle at Leopardstown over two miles. It's a cracker and let's see if we both our value picks can go and hit the frame or better pass the post first 🙂
A cracking handicap as usual with a maximum of 22 runners going to post. I liked two JP McManus owned runners in this race but am backing Drop The Anchor rather than The Moyglass Flyer who is shorter in the betting. Drop the Anchor is a horse we know well having backed him when winnin at the Listowel festival as well as when unfortunate to get tripped up by a fallen jockey at Down Royal!
Sentiment is great and all but there is good reason for backing this horse if you take several looks at his latest run behind Advanced Virgo in a similar handicap hurdle at the Fairyhouse winter festival. It was a career best run in my opinion as he would have gone very close but for getting badly checked be the faller Éclair Du Beaufeu losing momentum. Remarkably, Drop the Anchor got going again and powered home to almost grab second place from Cayd Boy.
The form stands up as it was Cayd Boy who won the valuable handicap hurdle at Down Royal where Drop The Anchor was brought down. Leopardstown and it’s long straight is just the job and he has the stamina to finish strongly off a fast pace with soft ground likely to suit. The handicapper raised him 2lbs since Fairyhouse which is fair. Simon Torrens claiming 5lbs has ridden him all thee times this season and is great value for his claim leaving Drop The Anchor carrying only 10-5, which is the same weight he carried at Fairyhouse.
Éclair De Beaufeu is much too big a price to ignore having looked a major player in the similar handicap hurdle won by Advanced Virgo at the Fairyhouse winter festival. He is a high class horse coming back to hurdles following a failed chasing career. Saying that he did win the valuable 2m1f handicap chase on this card last season when rated 140. Thereafter, he went to the Grand Annual chase at Cheltenham running a big race to finish second off a 149 rating!
Two season ago as a five year old, Éclair De Beaufeu finished fourth in this race with Uradel behind in fifth. Uradel might need the run while Éclair De Beaufeu is fighting fit and we can ignore his run here at Christmas. They rode him wide that day ensuring a good view of the hurdles and he got round safely.
The soft ground will help this big horse and Mr Gainford claims off 7lbs so he carries 10-7. Éclair De Beaufeu has a great shot at finishing in the frame if hurdling well at a huge price.
Leopardstown - 3:50
0.5 Point Each Way Drop The Anchor 10/1 Skybet 7 places else Paddy Power paying 6 places, use BOG bookies.
0.5 Point Each Way Eclair De Beaufeu 33/1 Skybet 7 places else Paddy Power paying 6 places, use BOG bookies.
Compare Odds at Leopardstown 15:50 Betting Odds Winner | Horse Racing | Oddschecker