Eyrefield Stakes Tips & Betting Preview

Race Time: 2.50pm Meeting: Leopardstown Day: Sunday 25th October
Distance: 1m 1f Full Race Name:  Best Odds Guaranteed For Tote Account Holders Eyrefield Stakes (Listed Race)

Just the maximum of a disappointing seven runners go to post ahead of this 30,000 Euro renewal and without a distance winner or even a course winner among them our work could well be cut out to track down the winner in advance! Three unbeaten horses look like good places to start to us, and Dermot Weld’s Ebediyin (7/4) is top of the list if only because he carries the number one silk alphabetically. A son of Raven’s Pass owned by the Aga Khan, he got up on his debut to win by a head at Galway over half a furlong less than he tackles here, suggesting he will love the extra trip for starters.  A half brother to the Grade Three winning Eyshal, he was pretty tenderly handled first time out which usually implies a horse connections think a lot of, and with improvement pretty much guaranteed, he arrives her with a pretty decent shout even if others seems to have an equal chance at first glance.

Next up we move long to Jim Bolger’s Moonlight Magic (9/2), this time a son of Cape Cross who will be running in the famous blue of Godolphin. Once again, the words “hands and heels” were used in the official race description as Kevin Manning made sure he had in enjoyable introduction and not one to put him off future excursions, and despite panicking odds on punters, he did get up to win by a comfortable neck. Dermot Weld trained the runner up that day so ought to have a good idea where he stands this afternoon, though Jim Bolger trained the third behind Ebediyin and Aidan O’Brien the runner up, so the mystery deepens from what looks like a level playing field!

Patrick Prendergast trains the last of our unbeaten trio, and we wonder if Queen Blossom (10/1) is the best of them, in the long term at least? After fighting to a half length win connections waxed lyrical about her for the future, and clearly see her as Group class at the very minimum (we suspect she will head for the Classics if all goes according to plan), with Fran Berry suggesting there was plenty more to cone in the future, but we also note they spoke of her as a shall of a horse and suggested that might be it for the season – yet here she is this afternoon, and receiving five pounds from her male rivals as well.

Lastly, as mentioned many times before, you can never ignore an Aidan O’Brien runner regardless and he sends Landofhopeandglory (7/4) here looking to win his second race at the fourth attempt. A neck win first time out at Galway promised a lot from the son of High Chaparral but the from hasn’t worked out that well with the runner up well beaten by Ebediyin next time out, suggesting that rival ought to have his measure. Runner up to Mint Chai next time out at Naas, the winner has been well beaten since which isn’t good, but he has had one other run when second again, this time to Glamorous Approach in the Listed Zetland Stakes at Newmarket, and overall we just cant see that form as good enough here even if they all have pretty much equal room to improve further with racing.