Dublin Racing Festival Day 1 Tips, Predictions and Race by Race Preview

The 2025 Dublin Racing Festival gets underway on Saturday 1st February and our tipster Ciaran Murphy has picked out his DRF betting tips for each race on the Leopardstown Day 1 card.

We get underway at 1.15pm and the last of the 7 races on the card is due off at 4.35pm.

Read our preview and tips below and if you are looking for some free bets to spend on Leopardstown this weekend, join Gentleman Jim to get up to £40 in free bets based on your first day of losses.

 

Dublin Racing Festival Day 1 Tips

• 1.15pm – JASMIN DE VAUX (8/1)
• 1.50pm – SAINT LUCIE (5/2)
• 2.25pm – MEETINGOFTHEWATERS (5/2) & GAOTH CUILL (20/1) EW
• 2.55pm – MAJBOROUGH’s (4/6)
• 3.30pm – GALOPIN DES CHAMPS (4/7)
• 4.05pm – AN PEANN DEARG (13/2)
• 4.35pm – HE CANT DANCE (3/1)

 

1.15pm

An intriguing contest here, with the 2m 6f distance something of a halfway house for those with Cheltenham aspirations. Of the last 5 runners 3 have stepped up in trip for the Albert Bartlett with Good Land and Gaillard du Mesnil competing in the Ballymore/Baring Bingham/Gallagher/Turners Hurdle. It also has a questionable record for favourites with only the 2 named above winning in the last 9 runnings. Add to that the fact that Paul Townend has not been on the first Willie Mullins horse home in the last 3 renewals.

I suspect that Final Demand may end up being the best horse in this race. The 2m 6f trip will suit a horse who many see as fast enough for a Turners and having the stamina for the Albert Bartlett. But given the stats outlined above, a chance is taken on what the betting suggests is Willie Mullins 4th string. I didn’t think I would be putting up JASMIN DE VAUX (8/1) after he disgraced himself with his jumping in the Lawlors of Naas but as a Champion Bumper winner he clearly has the class and the engine. The form of his Maiden hurdle is clearly the best on offer in the race with the Enabler winning next time out and in 3rd place that day was hugely impressive Christmas winner Workahead who is many people’s idea of the Supreme winner. The deciding factor is the change of Jockey and while I am not suggesting JJ Slevin is a better pilot than Paul Townend, a change may just help him to jump better and if he does, he is no 8/1 shot.

 

1.50pm

Incredibly, this is the only grade 1 of the week where Willie Mullins does not have the favourite but I am still backing him to take this home. The market leader is Gavin Cromwell’s Christmas winner Hello Neighbour who is closely matched with Lady Vega Allen on that Run (apparently….with the fog that day, the finishing line was basically all that was visible)

If they are as evenly matched as the short head winning margin would suggest, then Paul Townend’s selection of SAINT LUCIE (5/2) must be significant. From the same Sire as Lossiemouth, the mare was very impressive on stable debut in Punchestown in a race where connections unleashed Vauban 3 years ago. She didn’t beat much that day but did it as she liked and while I don’t think she will beat Lulamba or East India Dock in March, this could cement her at the head of the Irish Challenge.

 

2.25pm

A 3m handicap hurdle and back to normality with a favourite from Closutton. That is the hugely interesting runner MEETINGOFTHEWATERS (5/2) who is rated a whopping 36 pounds lower then his chase mark. Incredibly he gets in here within the handicap thanks to the defection of Meet and Greet (if that horse had run he would be 8 pounds out of the handicap) He won the Paddy Power chase on this track 2 years ago and a win here won’t affect his chase rating for the Grand National which Willie has outlined as his main target this year. Barring a catastrophe, it is impossible to see him not being bang there at the end.

However in a 26-runner handicap hurdle, that is not out of the question and so I’ll also take a chance on GAOTH CUILL (20/1) who, when Jockeys claims are taken into account, runs off just 2 pounds higher than when 2nd in this race last year. On that occasion she was looking to back up after a Christmas course and distance win on soft ground so conditions will be ideal here and, having her 4th run of the year, is sure to have race fitness on her side.

 

2.50pm

The conditions here should suit Ile Atlantique perfectly with 2m on soft ground seemingly his optimum trip and having clearly improved for fences. But while plenty have been keen to point out chinks the form of MAJBOROUGH’s (4/6) chase debut, the visual impact was that he didn’t get out of 2nd gear that day. The juvenile form from last year is working out much better than the novice form lines and while his size made it likely he would jump fences well, I wasn’t expecting the turn he foot he showed at the back of the last. Getting 2 pounds off his stablemate is just the cherry on the cake and while I would have him slightly behind Sir Gino in the Arkle pecking order, it wouldn’t be by as much as many would suggest for me.

 

3.30pm

Sometimes, things are best kept simple. GALOPIN DES CHAMPS (4/7) is the best since Kauto Star and (whisper it quietly) may end up being better. Unbeatable at Leopardstown over 3m with absolutely no chinks in his armour, he looks set to score here on the way to his 3rd Gold Cup in a row. 

 

4.05pm

Conor Stone Walsh and Gavin Cromwell have formed a red hot partnership in the big handicap chases in Ireland this year and team up here with favourite Midnight It Is. However this is a very competitive contest and slight preference is given to course and distance Christmas winner AN PEANN DEARG (13/2) who was given a fair 6 pound rise for that victory on similar ground conditions.

 

4.35pm

This race was shaken up at the declaration stage by the failure to declare antepost Cheltenham favourite Kalyso’chance. Ordinarily, we would be looking to Patrick and Willie but they have had a distinctly average season in bumpers operating at (just) a 25% strike rate, 8% below his 5 year average. By contrast Gordon Elliot’s 25% is 10% higher than in the same timeframe. HE CANT DANCE (3/1) is Harry Swan’s selection and was a comfortable if not spectacular winner on debut. In his point-to-point win, he beat 3-time hurdle winner Meetmebythesea and is a confident selection to round off the card.

 

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