FINAL DAY AT LEOPARDSTOWN: SHAMROCK looks ahead to the two Grade 1’s on the final day of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival. Today’s card at Limerick has been called off.
The nap, Arctic Fire, proved a bitter disappointment yesterday in the Squared Financial Christmas Hurdle. The three mile trip proved elusive and he looked a non stayer – despite showing over two and a half miles that he would want further.
There was a surprise winner in Prince Of Scars who beat Alpha Des Obeaux in a Gigginstown 1-2.
A little compensation with Don Poli (next best) winning the Lexus Chase but he made really hard work of it in a thrilling finish. The race could easily gone one of four ways approaching the last.
Limerick’s luck over Christmas has finally run out. The course raced over the last two days having passed morning inspections on both occasions but today’s meeting has fell victim to the weather and is cancelled due to a waterlogged track.
The course tweeted: “Racing @LimerickRaces has been cancelled on Tue 29 Dec as track is unfit for racing due to heavy rainfall this afternoon.”
The Grade Two Kirkland Investments Novice Hurdle has now been transferred to Punchestown on New Year’s Eve.
It’s the final day of Leopardstown’s splendid Christmas fixture with small fields and short priced favourites in the two Grade 1 races on the card:
1:55 Neville Hotels Novice Chase (Grade 1) (4yo+, Class 1, 3m, 4 runners)
This is the race that yesterday’s Lexus winner Don Poli won last year but unusually there is no Willie Mullins representative today. No More Heroes is a short priced favourite and rightly so. He is a Grade 2 winner over hurdles and has done even better over fences – winning both starts in style including the Grade 1 Drinmore Novice Chase at Fairyhouse last time out. He holds Monksland on that form which I expect to be confirmed over the longer trip.
2:30 Ryanair Hurdle (Grade 1) (4yo+, Class 1, 2m, 5 runners)
Yesterday’s nap, Arctic Fire, is still in the race at the time of writing, although I’m assuming he won’t race. In any case he would have a tough task against stable companion Nichols Canyon who bids to continue the Mullins monopoly on this race – Hurricane Fly won it four times !! After finishing third in the Neptune, Nichols Canyon has won three Grade 1’s in a row and caused a seismic shock last time out when beating 1/6 stable companion Faugheen in the Morgiana at Punchestown. Short odds today but impossible to oppose.
SHAMROCK’S BETS:
NAP: Nichols Canyon (2.30 Leopardstown)
NEXT BEST: No More Heroes (1.55 Leopardstown)
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