The world’s best jockey, Ryan Moore, has an incredible 32 per cent strike-rate at Leopardstown in the last five years and he has a really great book of rides for his boss at the track on Sunday! We have left out the opening debutant in the opening contest but his other four rides could be an attractive proposition at 30/1!
Henri Matisse rapidly transformed into a top performer as a juvenile, winning his first three outings and he ended last year on a high with victory in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar over 1m in November. This is a nice starting point for him for the season ahead.
Exactly will develop into a very smart filly and she got rewarded for her consistency when bolting up by 6.5l in the Group 3 Killavullan Stakes over C&D in October. If she runs anywhere near to that level here, she will take all the beating.
Moore’s best chance of the day is without doubt Delacroix, a stunning son of Dubawi who improved with racing as a juvenile, landing the Group 3 Autumn Stakes at Newmarket in October in gutsy fashion before a nose second in the Futurity at Doncaster. Big chance here.
It’s not too often you see Moore riding in a standard handicap in Ireland which means Serious Contender must be just that. The son of Wootton Bassett landed a ten-runner maiden here over 1m in October and there could be buckets more improvement to come stepping up in trip off a fair mark. It will be a surprise if he’s not up to the job.
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