Leopardstown and Limerick tips: Donn McClean best bets

It’s a real shame that Leopardstown have had to go behind closed doors again. It looked like 5,000 people was going to be the Christmas cap, but now we are back behind closed doors again, as we were last year, when a smattering of people clapped winners back in, instead of the traditional Leopardstown Christmas roar that would have, for example, carried A Plus Tard and Darragh O’Keeffe home in the Savills Chase and back into the winner’s enclosure.

At least the racing is still top class, and Sunday’s racing is fascinating. He is not a betting proposition, but it will be really interesting to see how Sir Gerhard fares on his hurdling bow in the Thorntons Recycling Maiden Hurdle.

Winner of his only point-to-point for Ellmarie Holden, the Cheveley Park Stud’s horse won his two bumpers last season before going to Cheltenham and winning the Champion Bumper, and he is obviously a hugely exciting recruit to hurdling. Ash Tree Meadow put up an eye-catching performance on his hurdling debut to finish third in a good maiden hurdle at Fairyhouse four weeks ago, so he should provide a good test for Willie Mullins’ horse.

Something will have to give in the Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Chase. Riviere D’Etel has looked very good in her three chases to date, jumping well and winning readily on all three occasions, by an aggregate of 44 lengths, and probably improving with each run.

She is still in receipt of the age allowance and the sex allowance, so Gordon Elliott’s filly will be receiving 13lb from Ferny Hollow, and that presents Willie Mullins’ horse with an arduous task.

He wasn’t overly impressive on the face of it in winning on his chasing bow last time at Punchestown, but there was mitigation. He was out on his own for a long way, past the three fences in the back straight and, when he was challenged by Coeur Sublime over the second last fence, there was a lot to like about the manner in which he battled back, staying on well over the final fence and up the run-in to win by four lengths in the end.

That was his first chase, and it was his first run since he beat Bob Olinger in a maiden hurdle at Gowran Park, the pair of them clear, over a year earlier. The 2020 Champion Bumper winner, he is obviously a seriously classy recruit to chasing and, even conceding 13lb to a really talented filly, it is correct that he is favourite in front of her.

You can argue, though, that Gabynako should be favourite in front of Farouk D’Alene for the Grade 1 BoyleSports Faugheen Novice Chase at Limerick. Farouk D’Alene is a hugely likeable horse, he beat subsequent Albert Bartlett Hurdle winner Vanillier in the Grade 2 Dorans Pride Novice Hurdle at this meeting last year, and he did well to win a good two-and-a-half-mile beginners’ chase at Navan on his debut this season on yielding ground, under conditions that should have been sharper than ideal for him.

But, while the ground is going to be softer at Limerick on Sunday, he is back over two and a half miles, and it may be that we will not see the best of Gordon Elliott’s horse until he steps up to three miles or even beyond.

Gabynako had the pace to win his maiden hurdle over two miles last season, and he finished third behind Bob Olinger and Blue Lord in a Grade 1 contest over two and a half miles at Naas last January, and it looks like he will be even better over fences than he was over hurdles.

Gavin Cromwell’s horse jumped really well at Fairyhouse in early November in winning his beginners’ chase, and he might have won the Grade 1 Drinmore Chase back at Fairyhouse last time, had he jumped either of the last two fences a little better than he did.

He made a mistake at the fifth last fence too, and he still went down by just over a length to Beacon Edge, a 158-rated horse over hurdles, staying on well up the run-in after making a mistake at the final fence.

Gabynako should be able to step up to three miles in time, he stays two and a half miles well but, for now, two and a half miles on soft ground should suit him well. And in six runs under Rules over obstacles at right-handed tracks, he has only been out of the first two once.

The ‘Bet Through the Racing Post App’ Handicap Chase at Leopardstown is one of the most competitive races on the day in Ireland, but it might pay to take a chance on Defan.

Henry de Bromhead’s horse did well to get the better of a good battle that he had with his stable companion Zarkareva at Listowel in September, the pair of them pulling well clear of their rivals.

He meets the mare on 5lb worse terms today, but that was just his third run over fences. He has the potential to progress to go beyond the mark of 119 off which he will race on Sunday.

He raced off that mark at Thurles last time, and he could only finish ninth in the end, but that doesn’t tell the full story. Always prominent that day, he jumped into a clear lead at the third last fence, and he looked the most likely winner on the approach to the final fence, but he made a very bad mistake there, not helped by a loose horse, and lost all chance. There is every chance that he would have won if he had jumped the final fence well.

That was on yielding ground, but he won his maiden hurdle on heavy ground at Limerick in November last year, so he shouldn’t mind it if the rain continues. He is only five, and he could be a fair bit better than a 119-rated steeplechaser in time.

For more of Donn's work visit www.donnmcclean.com

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