We have a feast of action over the water in Ireland over the festive period with the Leopardstown Christmas Festival which runs from the 26th-29th December. We will witness some proven high class horses and then also some of the rising stars coming through the ranks of the top stables across the Irish sea.
The opening day of the four day meeting on Friday will feature the Knight Frank Novice Hurdle which is a Grade 2 event and then the Racing Post Novice Chase over two miles. This Grade 1 event has produced some top class winners such as Willie Mullins’s Douvan and Ferny Hollow as well as Found A Fifty trained by Gordon Elliott. The first race is at 12.05pm and the last of the seven races is at 15.30pm.
The second day of the action is Paddy Power Day, which promises to be a day consisting of music, excitement and not forgetting great racing action. The seven race card gets under way at 12.05pm and finishes at 15.30pm. The main races on the card that day are the Paddy Power Rewards Club Chase and the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle, both Grade 1 events. The Rewards Club Chase produced a shock last year when 28/1 Solness won the prize. The Future Champions Novice Hurdle was won by Romeo Coolio, who is now an exciting Novice Chase prospect.
The third day of the festival is Savills Chase Day which features the Grade 1 Savills Chase run over three miles. Last year’s £103k race was won by Willie Mullin’s dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs by an impressive 7 ½ lengths. The day’s action also features the Savills Hurdle which is another Grade 1 event run over just short of three miles. This race was won by Home By The Lee and in doing so picked up a cheque of £88k for connections. Both the big races were won by market leaders so will it be a day for the punters this year? Racing gets under way at 12.10pm and the last race of the seven races is 15.40pm.
The fourth and final day of the Christmas Festival is a great day for all the family with free face painting for the kids and games. This is also a Bank Holiday so expect a big crowd. The racing entertainment consists of the Grade 1 event the Leopardstown Christmas Hurdle which was won last year by Gordon Elliott’s mare Brighterdaysahead 5/2 where she upset favourite State Man who was sent off 4/9 fav but could only finish 3rd. The day also features the Grade 3 Mares Hurdle and the Neville Hotels Premier Handicap Hurdle with £59k going to the winner. Racing commencing at 11.40am and draws to a close at 15.40pm with 8 races.
Please remember to gamble responsibly