Today's Tips: Douvan can deliver at Leopardstown

Only four runners have been declared for the featured Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Chase on day one of the Christmas Festival at Leopardstown, but it’s a tremendous race, in which Douvan is marginally preferred to Sizing John.

Two exceptionally exciting novice chasers, they finished first and third in last season’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham, and each time they met it was Douvan who finished in front of Sizing John. Both are expected to make better chasers, and there may not be as much between them over fences as there was over hurdles.

Douvan looked a natural on his debut over the larger obstacles, and can take this huge step up in grade in his stride. Sizing John will make up into a top-class sort in this discipline, but the testing conditions won’t bring out the best in him, and it’s quite likely we won’t see the best of him until the spring.