Our Irish racing expert Tony Keenan has one bet for the opening day of the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown.
Irish racing tips: Sunday February 1
0.5pt e.w. May Call you back in 12:40 Leopardstown at 9/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4,5)
Atter a week of waterlogging and weather forecasts, the Dublin Racing Festival finally gets going today with an eight-race card, four of them Grade 1s, and will take place – unsurprisingly – on heavy ground on hurdle track and soft on the chase track.
None of those Grade 1s make much betting appeal. Final Demand should win the Ladbrokes Novice Chase at 13:10 while there are pros and cons to each of the main players in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle at 13:40.
Talk The Talk has form that is a level above anything else in the race, but his hurdling is a worry while the ground is an unknown. Slow ground is no issue for King Rasko Grey, and his maiden hurdle win is working out well, but there is a suspicion that he has been slotted in at a short price because of a vacuum at the top of the Willie Mullins novice team.
I was impressed with Ballyfad at Christmas and the second has boosted the form since, but his trainer reckoned that big effort was down to the better ground and I am inclined to agree so this race is a pass.
Solness is the most interesting runner in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase (14:10) given his excellent record at the track. He would prefer better ground though it is only soft on the chase track, but the application of a visor is a strange one.
In the Timeless Sash Windows Irish Champion Hurdle (15:20), it looks a match between the two mares and boils down the which is more important from their meeting at Christmas: Lossiemouth paying for chasing down Anzadam and having more in hand than the bare margin, or Brighterdaysahead having had an interrupted prep for the race, apparently spending three weeks in a box in November?
I would lean towards that period missed being more significant, especially as the timing was bad as she was looking to get going for the winter, though it is not a strong opinion.
The opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Paddy And Maureen Mullins Mares Handicap Hurdle at 12:40 is one of the more interesting betting races of the day. Cousin Kate has gone up a lot in the weights and connections may rue picking up another 10lbs for her Cork win early last month and preference is for her Gowran conqueror MAY CALL YOU BACK.
She will be 2lbs better off with Cousin Kate for that run when claims are considered and was a little better than the form too, getting squeezed out down the back straight and making a mistake at the last. That form has clearly worked out well, the third also winning next time.
Heavy ground looked a concern before that, but she handled it well there and again next time when running over fences at Navan, another piece of form that worked out well. She has had a short break since, presumably with this race in mind, but has gone well fresh since joining this yard.
The other one near the top of my list was True Testimony. She is much lower over fences and shaped well here last time, further back than ideal off a steady pace, while the step up in trip will help. The booking of Jack Kennedy is a positive, and her trainer does well when reaching for the cheekpieces first time, 5/27 with 11 places when doing so, +11 points to level stakes and an actual over expected of 2.29.
The other handicaps are difficult. Kim Roque and Buachaillbocht look to hold leading claims in the O'Driscolls Irish Whiskey Leopardstown Handicap Chase at 14:45 while Murcia has a chance in the Padel At Leopardstown Golf Launching Spring 2026 Handicap Hurdle at 15:52.
She came on plenty for her first run last season and it should be the same this season as she was weak in the betting on return this term before travelling well for a long way behind Talk The Talk at Fairyhouse. Though not always consistent, the form of her Aintree Grade 1 win suggests 140 may not be too bad; she won that race six lengths and the three that filled the frame are now rated 142, 144 and 140. A concern is that last year’s juvenile hurdlers are a poor bunch.
I am also interested in the last, the Coolmore N.H. Sires Los Angeles Irish EBF Mares I.N.H. Flat Race at 16:27. Celestial Tune may be a beatable favourite as she has a penalty and may prefer better ground. She seemed to have the run of the race when winning at Cheltenham in November, grabbing the outside rail and avoiding the trouble that some in behind met, and the form has not worked out.
Royal Hillsborough holds decent claims. She is well-suited by slow ground, and it seems likely she was beaten by a good mare in Oldschool Outlaw at Navan in November, travelling well for much of the race and pulling clear of the third.
Her Christmas run was arguably even better as she raced up with an overly strong pace and did well to last as long as she did against the geldings before finishing third on ground that was likely faster than ideal.
Brosna Shine is another with claims having impressed with her Fairyhouse bumper win though she may not want really testing ground.
Preview posted 08:05 GMT on 01/02/26
More from Sporting Life
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
