Battleoverdoyen© Photo Healy Racing
Battleoverdoyen is set to spearhead Gordon Elliott’s assault on the Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors 50,000 Cheltenham Bonus For Stable Staff Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown.
The two-mile-six-furlong contest is the first of four Grade Ones on the opening afternoon of the Dublin Racing Festival and Battleoverdoyen is the likely favourite following a recent top-level triumph at Naas.
Speaking at the Dublin Festival launch at Leopardstown on Wednesday, Elliott said: “I’ll hopefully run two of three in it — Battleoverdoyen, Commander Of Fleet and maybe Tintangle.
“Battleoverdoyen is a good horse. He jumps and stays and he’s a big chaser in the making.
“Commander Of Fleet ran in the Royal Bond (finished last of four). That was only two miles, and it was very short for him.
“He wasn’t beaten far in the race, and the step up in trip will suit him well.”
Joseph O’Brien confirmed Rhinestone a likely participant in the same race, saying: “He’d be in with an each-way chance, hopefully.”
Henry de Bromhead has multiple entries and mentioned Malinas Jack, Embrun Mitja and Honeysuckle as possible runners — while Jessica Harrington revealed Magnium is more likely to run than stablemate Press Conference, who prefers soft ground.
The Ladbrokes Dublin Chase this year carries Grade One status, and Harrington is considering the two-mile-one-furlong contest as a potential comeback target for 2017 Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Sizing John.
“We’ll see if the rain arrives. I’m looking to working him this weekend, but it depends on what the ground does in Navan,” said the Moone-based trainer.
“He seems to be in very good form and he did plenty this morning at home, but it’s just getting him away.
“Would I like to run him over two-miles-one for his first run? It would probably be better than running over three miles (in the Irish Gold Cup).
“We’ll just see what happens in the next fortnight.”
Should Sizing John run in the Dublin Chase, his possible rivals include De Bromhead’s pair of Ordinary World and Special Tiara.
The Frank Ward Solicitors Arkle Novice Chase is set to throw up a rematch between O’Brien’s Le Richebourg and Elliott’s Mengli Khan, who finished first and fourth respectively in a Grade One at the track over Christmas.
O’Brien said: “Le Richebourg has been in good form since Christmas and he goes there with a favourite’s chance, but this is a much tougher race.
“Us And Them, who was second to him the last day, will probably run again.”
Elliott said: “Mengli Khan seems in good form at home. Although we had a good few winners, a good few of them ran below par as well at Christmas.
“He never travelled at all in Leopardstown last time, like he did the time before.
“He was even-money favourite the last day for a Grade One, and he’s 10-1 now for this race.
“I’ll run him and probably run Duca De Thaix, who won the Dan Moore at the weekend.”
