‘Potentially unexposed in handicaps’ - Today's Leopardstown Tips Leopardstown’s QuinnBet Handicap Chase card was run on Sunday last year but this time around it’s taking place on Monday. The Listed contest is the feature event on the seven-race card and there’s a substantial prize fund of €45,000 on offer. Run over an extended 2m5f, veterans and more exposed types don’t have a good recent record, with nine of the last 10 winners being aged seven or eight, and the oldest winner during this period was a nine-year-old. Lighter weights tend to fare well, with only two winners carrying in excess of 11st 5lb. A thoroughly competitive field of 16 has been declared and our expert has selected a couple of strong fancies to follow, including a Gordon Elliott-trained novice who showed signs of a resurgence when finishing second in graded company last time out. Selection: The Wallpark @ SP Next Best: Fishery Lane @ SP Mullins and Elliott set to clash once again Ireland’s two best National Hunt trainers are set to lock horns once again in this race with Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott sending two runners apiece, which equates to a quarter of the field. Quai De Bourbon has been badly out of form this season but he’s definitely capable of running a big race. Gordon Elliott’s Bingeworthy is 4lb out of the handicap here and is probably best watched with that in mind, although Josh Williamson does take 5lb off. Last year’s winner Monbeg Park is also in the line up and his current mark is just 2lb higher now. Henry de Bromhead’s Gorgeous Tom is a fairly consistent performer and remains potentially unexposed in handicaps. Joseph O’Brien runs Jordans and he produced some excellent form as a novice last season, chasing home Caldwell Potter in a Grade 1, although he’s struggling this term. An Peann Dearg has needed some help from the handicapper but he was useful last season, bolting up at the Dublin Racing Festival off a 4lb lower mark. Now that he has slipped down the weights a bit, we could see a return to form soon. Handicaps can bring out The Wallpark’s a-game Owned by JP McManus, THE WALLPARK emerged as a serious Stayers’ Hurdle contender last term, after bolting up in a seemingly competitive handicap hurdle at Cheltenham early on in the season. He went on to finish third at the Cheltenham Festival, although this season has been a bit of a struggle. Gordon Elliott’s gelding was an absolute no-show in his first three starts over fences this term and wasn’t much better when sixth at Gowran in January. Things were looking rather bleak for his chasing career before a much improved display at Navan last time out. He was up against the intriguing Brown Advisory candidate Oscars Brother and although he never really troubled the winner in that Grade 2 novice chase, he did show a lot more and kept on well to finish second in the end. Winning a handicap off 142 shouldn’t be beyond him. Don’t dismiss Fishery Lane One of two runners for Willie Mullins, FISHERY LANE is a novice over fences and has struggled to find his feet in beginners’ chases so far this season. That being said, he has come up against some strong opposition, including stablemates Salvator Mundi and Kaid d’Authie. It’s interesting that Mullins has decided to return to handicaps, as the seven-year-old has only one previous start to his name in handicap company. It’s possible that connections have now found the right trip for him and he should be much more competitive in this sphere.
