Thursday Horse Racing Tips

Today’s card at Leopardstown, which thankfully survived an early morning inspection, features one of the races of the festive period, the Leopardstown Christmas Chase.

Leopardstown Christmas Chase    

It features one of our favourite horses in training, Sizing John.

The Gold Cup winner did us favours in a couple of big races last season and we expect him to win today, all things being equal. He isn’t a great price, though, and with three places up for grabs, and doubts over the enigmatic Yorkhill who is trying the trip for the first time, there is each way value elsewhere.

Any of Road To Repsect, Minella Rocco, Valseur Lido or Carlingford Lough could hit the frame at a big price, and we’d suggest backing VALSEUR LIDO and MINELLA ROCCO to do just that.

The former ran a blinder on his first race for Henry De Bromhead at the start of last season and backed that effort up with a fine fourth in this race only to then have his season curtailed by injury.

He goes well fresh, so the layoff shouldn’t be an issue, and the yard couldn’t be in better form having fired in six winners from its last 18 runners.

Minella Rocco has typical form figures for a Jonjo O’Neill staying chaser. They can pull up on one start and then nearly win a grade one contest on their next and it is remarkable how many of the stable’s horses win after being pulled up last time out.

This horse can prove his second in last year’s Gold Cup was no fluke by getting involved in the finish again today.

Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle    

There are likely to be plenty of Cheltenham clues elsewhere on the card too, starting with a Pertemps qualifier at 12.50pm.

A massive field goes to post here and the one we like best is TURBOJET who could improve for the step up in trip. He had been in consistent form for a while before finding the step up to a grade 3 event too much for him last time out.

BABBLING STREAM is another De Bromhead horse to back in the same race now reverting to hurdles after some okay efforts in novice chases, whilst MIGHTY STOWAWAY could finally get his head in front now tackling the three mile trip he has surely been crying out for.

Ashbury Boss is totally unexposed and another to note.

Bet365 are offering 6 places for each-way bets on this race.

Squared Financial Christmas Hurdle    

The Christmas Hurdle follows and the market is rightly dominated by Nichols Canyon and Apples Jade.

Over this longer trip, Nichols Canyon could easily reverse the Hatton’s Grace from with Apple’s Jade, but we’d suggest taking them both on with SUPASUNDAE and BAPAUME.

The former stayed on strongly in the closing stages of the Hatton’s Grace and will be suited by this longer trip. He is a stayer on the upgrade.

Bapaume is a more speculative selection, but he was a very decent juvenile last season and if this new distance suits him he could cause a shock for the all-conquering Willie Mullins yard.

Midland Legal Solicitors Beginners Chase    

Mullins also has a good chance of taking the concluding contest courtesy of BACARDYS.