Leopardstown
Racecourse launched the 2017 Christmas Festival at Jessica Harrington’s yard
early this morning and released early entries to all seven Grade One races at
the Four-Day festival, which has become a festive sporting tradition across the
generations. There were a total of 131 entries for the seven Grade One races with
prize money of €1.3 million on offer at the festival. The seven Grade One races
are: the Racing Post Novice Chase, the Leopardstown Christmas Chase, the
Ryanair Hurdle, the Neville Hotels Novice Steeplechase, the Squared Financial
Christmas Hurdle, the Paddy’s Rewards Club Steeplechase and the Paddy Power
Future Champions Novice Hurdle.
Entries for the Paddy Power Chase
(Handicap) with weights and the sponsor’s ante-post betting will be released by
HRI at 11am, Tuesday, 12th December.
DAY ONE: Tuesday
26th December
€90,000 Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Chase
The €90,000 Racing Post Novice Chase
looks to be a race to savour with 18 eighteen entries including the impressive
Navan winners Footpad and Al Boum Photo heading Willie Mullins’
challenge along with the Punchestown winner Bon Papa while Death Duty and Dinaria Des Obeaux, first and
fourth respectively in the Grade 1 Bar One Racing Drinmore Novice Chase at
Fairyhouse, lead the Gordon Elliott team.
DAY TWO: Wednesday, 27th December
€85,000 Grade 1 Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle
Samcro might well put his unbeaten record on the
line in the €85,000 Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle for which
trainer Gordon Elliott has also entered his impressive Grade 1 Bar One Racing
Royal Bond winner Mengli Khan. In
opposition could be the Willie Mullins-trained Next Destination, Real Steel, Carter Mckay and Sharjah while another that could play his part is the Henry De
Bromhead-trained Trainwreck.
€100,000 Grade 1 Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase
There is a total of 15 entries in the
Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase. The Willie Mullins-trained trio of Douvan, Un De Sceaux and Min are
among the stand-out entries in a race that has also attracted Henry De
Bromhead’s Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Special Tiara, the Gordon Elliott-trained Ball D’Arc, Jessica Harrington’s Woodland Opera and Simply
Ned which has been placed for trainer Nicky Richards in each of the last
three renewals of this race.
DAY THREE: Thursday, 28th December
€85,000 Grade 1 Squared Financial Christmas Hurdle
Cheltenham Festival winners Jezki and Supasundae are two high-class performers for Jessica Harrington that
will go into battle in the €85,000 Grade 1 Squared Financial Christmas Hurdle.
The race has attracted two entries from Britain in the shape of the Harry
Fry-trained Unowhatimeanharry and
Nick Williams’ Agrapart and a strong
team from both Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott. The champion trainer has the
likes of Nichols Canyon, Shaneshill,
Yorkhill and Limini to choose
from while Elliott might fancy his chances with a squad that includes Apple’s Jade and Prince Of Scars, successful in the race two years ago. The Gavin
Cromwell-trained Jer’s Girl is
another entry of note.
€150,000 Grade 1 Leopardstown
Christmas Chase
Dual Cheltenham Festival winner Yorkhill heads the early entries for
the Grade 1 Leopardstown Christmas Chase, which is one of the highlights of the
Festival. Successful in the Neptune
Investment Management Novices´ Hurdle in 2016 and the JLT Novices´ Chase in
2017, the seven-year-old is a four-time Grade 1 winner. Other strong entries
from Willie Mullins include Djakadam,Acapella Bourgeois and the
long-absent Killultagh Vic. Jessica Harrington’s Sizing John, the first horse to win three Gold Cups in one season
and crowned Horse of the Year at the annual Horse Racing Ireland Awards has
also been entered. He is another seven-year-old and he scored an unforgettable
triumph in the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup at Cheltenham, as well as landing the
Stan James Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown and the Punchestown Gold Cup. Sizing John made a hugely promising
return to action at Punchestown yesterday with an impressive win in the Grade 1
John Durkan Memorial Chase.
Gordon Elliott has a strong team to choose from and among his entries are last
year’s winner Outlander, already
successful at the highest level this season in the JNwine.com Champion Chase at
Down Royal. Elliott has also entered his Troytown Handicap Chase winner Mala Beach and Ball D’Arc, which is certainly ready for a step up in class after
his impressive display in the Poplar Square Chase at Naas. Among Noel Meade’s
entries are the highly-regarded Disko and Road To Riches, winner of this
race in 2014. Minella Rocco,
runner-up to Sizing John in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, could yet represent Jonjo
O’Neill in the €150,000 contest.
DAY FOUR: Friday,
29th December
€85,000 Grade 1
Neville Hotels Novice Chase
There is a total of 21 entries for the
Grade 1 Neville Hotels Novice Chase which was won last year by Jessica
Harrington’s Our Duke and Robbie Power. Gordon Elliott’s entries total 11 and
include Death Duty and Dinaria Des Obeaux as well as Jury Duty and Dounikos. Henry De Bromhead’s Monalee won plenty of admirers when victorious at Punchestown and would be an
intriguing contender.
€100,000 Grade 1 Ryanair Hurdle
A high-class renewal of the Grade 1
Ryanair Hurdle is certainly on the cards with Faugheen topping the 10 entries for trainer Willie Mullins who has
also put Melon in the €100,000
two-mile event. Star mare Apple’s Jade could fly the flag for Gordon Elliott while British trainers Nicky Henderson
and Dan Skelton could be represented by My
Tent Or Yours and Ch’tibello respectively.