Irish racing expert Tony Keenan has an each-way selection on today's card at Leopardstown - check out his latest Sunday preview.
Irish racing tips: Sunday October 18
0.5pts e.w. Nermal in 16:12 Leopardstown at 10/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4,5)
Aidan O’Brien had a six-timer during Leopardstown’s all-juvenile card yesterday, and that achievement fits in with the way the second half of the season has unfolded for Ballydoyle. Since the start of August, their two-year-olds running in the UK and Ireland have gone 30 winners from 140 (21.4% win strike-rate, backed up by a 44.3% place strike-rate) while the three-year-olds have lagged well behind, being six winners from 76 runners (7.9% win, 25% place). Those figures do not include yesterday’s results.
One of the shortest-priced runners on this afternoon’s card is a Ballydoyle three-year-old, Come What May, in the Listed Trigo Stakes at 15:42. He has a very different profile to many of his stablemates that have run in the second half of the season, only making his debut three weeks ago. That was a taking win at the Curragh though he does need to come up to the level of a 100 horse to win here.
The likes of Hazdann and especially Diego El Queso are solid alternatives. Diego El Queso found it hard to win last season but has looked a reformed character this year, unlucky not to win a pair of strong handicaps in July, the first at this track, the second at Goodwood. He disappointed last time at York but that was a second trip to England in a matter of weeks and he was too keen, while he has been given a break ahead of this race at a course he has done well at.
The other Listed race, the Bahrain Turf Club Knockaire Stakes (14:42) is tough to sort. King Cuan looked brilliant last time in the Concorde, but the race was set up for him as the leaders went too fast and he is up a furlong and a half in trip. Faiyum is backing up quickly and seemed to have every chance when getting on the favoured rail last Sunday at Naas.
Perhaps an upset is on the cards, though settling on one of the outsiders is hard but Dublin’s Knight is an intriguing runner on stable debut for Joseph O’Brien and has attracted some early support. He beat a subsequent Group 1 winner in his American win.
The Bahrain Turf Club October Handicap at 16:42 is a competitive handicap and Sky Captain might find this drop in trip against him having looked a strong stayer to this point. Sir Jeremy has good claims of reversing Listowel form with Handani, the Weld runner having had a much kinder run through the race, though he is making a quick return having run another good race at Naas last weekend.
It looks an ideal race for Truth Be Told in terms of ground and trip, and he had little chance from his track position down the inner off a steady pace here in the Petingo last time, though that looks priced in now while Night Moon raced in a similar part of the track then too. The unexposed Latin America and the consistent Thatwilldoso are a couple of others that are in the mix too.
NERMAL looks overpriced in the 16:12, the Christmas Festival Tickets On Sale Now Handicap. The Slattery yard has had their best year, 65 winners and counting, while there has been no let up in October, already at nine winners for the month.
Nermal is a consistent sort that has been running in better race than this, his last three runs coming in a 0-90, a premier handicap and another 0-90, while he drops into a 0-80 now. The first of those runs was on the Monday of Galway when he appeared a little stretched by the stiff 12 furlongs, pressing for home sooner than ideal before finishing a close fourth and the winner, third and fifth have all shown the form in a good light since.
His next run came in the Red God at Dundalk where he anticipated the start which caused him to break awkwardly. That left him in the rear of the field off a steady pace, and he had little chance in a race dominated by frontrunners before closing up late.
Given a break, he ran back at Thurles 10 days ago where he again looked stretched by an extended mile-and-a-half. Having been keen, he travelled best but failed to get home, taking a slight bump late before finishing third.
The drop in distance looks in his favour here though his wide draw is an unknown. The track layout here yesterday was unusual as they started on the chase track down the back before coming back onto a more typical flat line in the straight.
There is fresh ground on the inside this afternoon but plenty of winners were coming wide during the day and there is a lot of pace in this which should allow Andrew Slattery to take a lead of some sort.
Of the rest, Spacebound ran a big race last time off a break at Curragh, but this trip is a worry while Rest Your Mind is unexposed and should go well. Dark Summit is a dangerous reserve as he has tumbled down the weights this season and ran a good race on his second start for his new yard recently, doing well to finish third in the unfavoured part of the track at Navan.
Published at 09:02 BST on 18/10/26
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