A great racing rivalry is renewed at the opening day of the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown on Saturday.
The clash of the Willie Mullins-trained Galopin Des Champs and Martin Brassil’s Fastorslow in the Grade 1 Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup.
The pair are racing against each other for the third time. Whereas, recent form certainly favours Brassil’s runner following his wins at the Punchestown festival in April and a follow up success in November’s John Durkan Chase.
Facing up to the big two is Gordon Elliott’s Conflated. Mullins’ BoyleSports Irish Grand National winner I Am Maximus completing the four-runner line up.
Big names among the slightly younger brigade come together in the Goffs Irish Arkle Novice Chase. Marine Nationale comes up against Christmas Grade 1 winner Found A Fifty, trained by Gordon Elliott.
The six-runner field is made includes the Mullins-trained Facile Vega, Il Etait Temps and Sharjah, and the Vincent Halley-trained Senecia.
Grade One Show opener
The Grade 1 Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle opens the show. Willie Mullins is well represented with four of the six runners.
Predators Gold, Loughglynn, I Will Be Baie and Dancing City represent the champion trainer. Whereas, Rachael Blackmore rides Jessica Harrington’s big hope Jetara. Whereas, Jack Kennedy has his first chance of the weekend to reach the 100-winner mark for the season on the Gordon Elliott-trained Stellar Story.
Storm Heart, Kargese and Highwind are among Willie Mullins entry of six-horses for the Grade 1 McCann Fitzgerald Spring Juvenile Hurdle. There are 11 horses still engaged and among those facing up to the Closutton squad are Gordon Elliott’s Kala Conti; the Joseph O'Brien-trained Intellotto and Noel Meade’s Open To Question.
A Dream To Share, last season’s outstanding bumper performer, returns in the Grade 2 Future Stars INH Flat Race. John & Thomas Kiely’s runner is bidding to extend his winning run to an unprecedented six bumper wins.
Among those standing in his way are Willie Mullins’ Redemption Day; The Enabler, trained by Gordon Elliott; the Emmet Mullins-trained Jeroboam Machin and Joystick another from the Willie Mullins stable.
Five handicaps on the festival card
The first of the Dublin Racing Festival’s five handicap races; is the Race And Stay Leopardstown Handicap Hurdle over an extended three miles.
Fastorslow’s stable companion Panda Boy remains among the early favourites to win the 24-runner affair, with the Peter Fahey-trained Canal End, the Ted Walsh-trained Gaoth Chuil and Barry Connell’s Nine Graces other top fancies.
December’s Cheltenham scorer Madara, trained by Sophie Leech, and last year’s winner Final Orders, trained by Gavin Cromwell, are among the 13 declared runners for the Ryanair Handicap Chase.
Cromwell also runs Path D’oroux with Solness representing Joseph O'Brien. Indeed, The Folkes Tiara and The Big Chap, trained by Henry de Bromhead and Paul Flynn respectively, are just two more to note.
Click here for the declared runners for Leopardstown on Saturday
