Dublin Racing Festival day one tips: Good Land can strike in opening race
BRIGHT PROSPECT: Good Land, right, looked the part when winning at Leopardstown at Christmas and can make a successful return to the Foxrock venue today. Picture: Healy Racing
Four Grade Ones get the 2023 Dublin Racing Festival off to the best possible start and in Saturday’s feature, the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup, Galopin Des Champs puts his perfect record in completed outings over fences on the line and should have little trouble defending it.
Trained by Willie Mullins, who is almost certain to dominate the weekend’s proceedings, he really hasn’t much to prove against Saturday’s opposition and ought to come home comfortably clear, with his stablemate, Stattler, likely to chase him home.
The latter, the National Hunt Chase winner, is three from four over fences, but when he and the selection met over hurdles at the 2021 Punchestown festival, there were 13 and a half lengths between them. While Stattler is a decent sort, there is not enough in his chase form to suggest he can reverse that form.
His best chance would be to make this a really stiff test from the outset and, in doing so, potentially test the stamina of the favourite. Even that is unlikely to be enough, however, and thus Galopin Des Champs is likely to have to wait until next month’s Cheltenham Gold Cup, over a longer trip, to be truly tested.
The Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle is the most open Grade One on the card, but Good Land looked particularly smart when winning here at Christmas and another small step forward on that effort would make him hard to beat.
His Wexford bumper form has worked out well and while he unseated his rider at the first on his hurdling debut, he showed just what he was capable of when winning his maiden here. He can continue to improve and is preferred to Sandor Clegane and Quais De Paris.
The former made the breakthrough last time and looked good in doing so, but the form is difficult to gauge. He raced in good company in bumpers but appeared to have his limitations exposed and probably needs to prove he has what it takes to make it at this level. Quais De Paris was workmanlike on his Irish debut, but conditions were difficult and a huge step up would be no surprise.
Willie Mullins saddles six of the eight declared runners in the Grade One Donohue Marquees Spring Juvenile Hurdle and the market could be extremely interesting, particularly if there is strong support for one of the runners against his odds-on favourite, Lossiemouth. The grey has looked the real deal in two outings to date in Ireland but two of her stablemates have not yet run for the yard.
Gust Of Wind won on his only outing in France and it is interesting that he is starting off here, while Cinsa finished fourth behind Lossiemouth when both ran their only race in France. Gala Marceau ran well to finish runner-up to Lossiemouth on debut and can improve but they all have to improve quite significantly to get to her level.
1:20 Good Land (Nap)
1:55 Lossiemouth
2:30 Appreciate It
3:05 Galopin Des Champs
3:40 Maxxum
4:10 Fils D’oudairies (NB)
4:40 Special Cadeau
1:20 Quais De Paris
1:55 Gust Of Wind
2:30 El Fabiolo
3:05 Stattler
3:40 The Gradual Slope
4:10 Get My Drift
4:40 Better Days Ahead
