The Dublin Racing Festival has swiftly established itself as one of the key fixtures in the National Hunt calendar, offering a wealth of clues for punters and pundits alike in the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival.
The two-day meeting at Leopardstown features top-class races, including eight Grade 1 contests that regularly feature future Cheltenham contenders. Its influence on the ante-post markets is undeniable.
In this article, we’ll delve into how performances in Dublin have reshaped the betting landscape for Cheltenham tips, highlighting the biggest market movers and what these changes might mean for the Festival’s marquee races.
Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
One of the biggest movers came in the market for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, as the promising Kopek Des Bordes was slashed from 12/1 to as short as 5/4 for the opening race of the Cheltenham Festival.
Any questions about the five-year-old’s jumping ability after his hurdle debut at Leopardstown on Boxing Day were answered in a stunning performance that saw the Willie Mullins-trained horse romp home by 13 lengths.
Kopek Des Bordes’ impressive win meant stablemate Salvator Mundi, who had shot to the fore of the market after landing the Sky Bet Club Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle at Punchestown after 242 days off last month, has drifted out to 9/2.
Champion Hurdle
The Irish Champion Hurdle didn’t play out as many would have hoped. With a blockbuster showdown between stablemates State Man and Lossiemouth, this was a chance to see who could rival Constitution Hill at Cheltenham.
However, when the race was heating up, Lossiemouth devastatingly crashed out with four hurdles to go, leaving State Man to run on for an unchallenged victory. He’s shortened from 10/1 to 6/1 to defend his Champion Hurdle, while Lossiemouth drifted slightly from 11/4 to 5/1.
If anything, the Irish Champion Hurdle only really firmed up Constitution Hill’s chances of regaining his crown, as some bookies shortened him to 4/7.
Queen Mother Champion Chase
In another race that saw the British-trained favourite grow in confidence in the betting, Nicky Henderson would have been pleased to see neither Gaelic Warrior nor El Fabiolo score in the Dublin Chase—meaning Jonbon shortened for the day two feature.
Solness was the surprise winner of the Grade 1 contest. In December, he followed up on his Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase victory at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival with a two-length win over Marine Nationale as pre-race favourite Gaelic Warrior was in third.
The Joseph O’Brien-trained horse was slashed from 20/1 to 12/1 for the Queen Mother Champion Chase, but the spotlight remains on Jonbon—who was cut to odds on favourite for the two-mile championship race.
Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase
Despite a hearty win over the tough-battling Croke Park, digging in deep to keep on and beat Gordon Elliott’s 11/1 outsider by five lengths in the Grade 1 Novice Chase, the bookmakers didn’t exactly run scared of the highly-rated Ballyburn—cutting him slenderly from 11/4 to 2/1 for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.
Turners Novices’ Hurdle
The Dan Skelton-trained The New Lion was dislodged as the favourite for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle after Final Demand impressed in the Grade 1 Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown.
The Mullins-trained six-year-old opened the Dublin Racing Festival with a bang when going clear of his nearest rival, Wingmen, on the run-in and ultimately winning by 12 lengths.
Final Demand was cut to 5/2 for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle, but the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle is another option at 5/1 while he’s 33/1 for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
