It is eight years since Gordon Elliott’s only previous success in Leopardstown’s feature race on St Stephen’s Day but he looks to hold a strong hand this time.
The Co Meath trainer has four of the nine entries left in the Grade 1 €100,000 Racing Post App Novice Chase after Tuesday’s acceptance stage in advance of the busiest day’s racing of the year.
Leopardstown and Limerick begin their traditional four-day Christmas festivals on St Stephen’s Day with racing also going ahead at Down Royal on Monday.
Acceptors were also taken for the Day 2 festival races at Leopardstown and Limerick with Chacun Pour Soi on course to try to maintain his excellent track form in the €125,000 Paddy’s Rewards Chase.
The strength of Elliott’s novice chase team this season means he has an enviable pre-Christmas headache to deal with in figuring out how best to divide his resources.
Mighty Potter’s Drinmore success at Fairyhouse earlier this month has been the highlight so far this season and he holds entries at both Leopardstown and in Limerick’s Grade 1 Guinness Faugheen Chase on Monday.
The betting markets suggest Mighty Potter is no “sure thing” to line up in either of them but Elliott’s replacement bench could hardly be stronger.
Fil Dor and Hollow Games got their own chasing careers off to impressive starts with wins at Navan and are firmly in the Leopardstown mix while the unbeaten Gerri Colombe will be a standout name for many in Limerick’s €100,000 Grade 1 over two-and-a-half miles.
Elliott’s sole victory in the St Stephen’s Day feature at Leopardstown was Clarcam in 2014.
The shape of the bumper Christmas action is getting clearer cross-channel too, with Constitution Hill a resounding 1-10 favourite to maintain his unbeaten record in Kempton’s Christmas Hurdle on Monday.
Kempton’s latest acceptors also saw Henry De Bromhead’s Envoi Allen included in the likely starters for the King George VI Chase while Peter Fahey’s The Big Dog is among leading contenders for the following day’s Welsh National at Chepstow.
Willie Mullins’ attention is resolutely on the domestic action and Tuesday’s Leopardstown programme is set to see a second start over flights for Facile Vega, a horse the champion trainer has already described as the most exciting he’s had in years.
Winner of his Fairyhouse debut, Facile Vega is among nine left in the Grade 1 Future Champions Novice Hurdle. Mullins has three other options while Elliott has a quartet. It leaves only Gavin Cromwell to potentially gatecrash with the remaining entry, Path D’oroux.
If the €200,000 Paddy Power Chase is the big financial pot on Tuesday, then Chacun Pour Soi promises some star quality in the earlier two-mile highlight.
Beaten in the race in 2020 by no less than A Plus Tard, Mullins’s star is undefeated in four starts at Leopardstown since then. His stable companion Blue Lord gives the champion trainer a notably strong hand in the contest again.
Ground conditions are currently yielding at Leopardstown but with some good to yielding spots. Even with up to 20mms of rain forecast for later this week, further selective watering is being planned. The Limerick going is soft.
The strength in depth of Mullins’ team will be underlined at Fairyhouse’s rescheduled programme on Wednesday, when El Fabiolo gets his chasing career under way in the first race.
High class over flights last season, El Fabiolo got to within a neck of Jonbon at Grade 1 level in Aintree last April and looked a potential star of the future over fences.
For most operations, he would be a star turn to look forward to over Christmas: in the Mullins pecking order he emerges on Wednesday against a handful of opponents.
They include some good types too, not least Colonel Mustard and the Grade 3 winning hurdler Highland Charge. But El Fabiolo looks the one to beat.
A similar comment applies to a later novice chase where Mullins’ Ha D’or begins his career over fences.
Paul Townsend again takes the mount on a talented hurdler who chased home El Fabiolo at the Punchestown festival but must concede experience to some smart types.
Ireland’s final day’s racing before the Christmas festivals also includes all-weather action at Dundalk where Dreal Deal makes a quick reappearance under topweight in a mile-and-a-half handicap.
Ronan McNally’s star won easily over two miles at the track on Friday, for which he has been officially raised 9lbs by the handicapper.
That technically has him a couple of pounds well in under a 7lb penalty and with Dylan Browne McMonagle back on board Dreal Deal looks to have a good chance of following up.
Dancing Tango proved she can act on the surface at Dundalk when runner-up on her Irish debut behind stable companion River Rain three weeks ago.
Joseph O’Brien’s charge is back over course and distance for a maiden and the filly can secure a valuable winning bracket.
