13:15
Leopardstown
Odds correct as of 10:44am 30th Jan
Leopardstown‘s Dublin Racing Festival is always one of the highlights of the season, as there’s eight Grade 1 races to enjoy, as well as some thoroughly competitive handicaps. Saturday marks Day 1 of the two-day fixture so we’ve selected some of our strongest fancies across the card. You can also find our Irish Arkle and Irish Gold Cup picks included in our ITV tips for Saturday. Take a look at our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
Jalon d’Oudairies was a smart bumper horse a couple of seasons ago and finished third in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham in 2024. He missed last season through injury and came very close to scoring over hurdles here over Christmas. The fact that he runs here despite being a maiden suggests that connections believe he retains a significant amount of potential and the new trip will suit.
Narciso Has left his stable debut well behind him when winning a Grade 2 contest by a wide margin over course and distance last month. This horse has Cheltenham written all over him and looks well set to win here before a trip over for the Triumph Hurdle in March.
County Final ran an absolute cracker to finish second in a Grade 2 over 2m7f at Limerick last time out and he was a head away from winning. Handicaps could be the way to go and further progress is anticipated in this sphere. There’s loads of room to manoeuvre with his current mark.
Charismatic Kid left a very good impression when winning nicely on debut at Navan for previous connections. Gordon Elliott picked him up for £300,000 off the back of that and the steep step up in grade suggests he likes what he sees at home. Willie Mullins doesn’t have a runner and Elliott will be seeking to take full advantage.
If you back any of our selections you can watch them live on the free Racing Post app or racingpost.com. Simply log in to one of your bookmaker accounts and click ‘Watch live’ on the racecards.