The two-day Dublin Racing Festival kicks off at Leopardstown on Saturday and it’s the highlight of the winter schedule. There are no fewer than eight Grade 1s across 15 races. You could hardly ask for much than that and there are plenty of superstars on show. With this in mind, we’ve picked out five tips in Grade 1 races to consider combining into a juicy mega accumulator. Check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
American Mike (4-1, William Hill) needs to bounce back here after a disappointing effort in Grade 3 company at Navan in November. He’s much better than that effort and has long been the apple of Gordon Elliott’s eye. It’s probably significant that we haven’t seen him since and hopefully he’ll be back to his best. This trip will suit well and a huge run is expected.
Dysart Dynamo (2-1, William Hill) was a law unto himself last season which derailed his spring campaign. On the evidence of his chase debut at Leopardstown over Christmas, he seems to respect fences more than he did hurdles. Still very buzzy and keen, the early signs suggest he has calmed down a little. If he can run to his best form or even improve, he could have too much speed and power for the others.
Galopin Des Champs (1-3, William Hill) is an absolute monster of a horse. Easily put 13 lengths between himself and the excellent Fakir D’oudairies on seasonal reappearance in the John Durkan. Improvement is expected here and there’s not a horse on the planet that can beat him if on top form.
Mighty Potter (9-4, William Hill) is a very smart horse who won two Grade 1s as a novice hurdler. He’s also unbeaten in two starts over fences, winning a Grade 1 at Fairyhouse in December at the expense of a subsequent top level scorer. The form book suggests he should win again here.
Vauban (3-1, bet365) made a more than satisfactory comeback behind stablemate State Man at Leopardstown over Christmas. For a five-year-old having his first run in open Grade 1 company, it was a great run. Should find significant improvement this time around and State Man won’t have it all his own way.
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