Leopardstown's Thursday Card: Key Races and Betting Tips Inside Leopardstown hosts a good seven-race card on Thursday evening which features two Group 3 races as well as some competitive handicaps and maidens. The card kicks off at 17:20 and runs all the way through to 20:25. Thursday Tips 18.23 Leopardstown - Chicago Critic 18.53 Leopardstown - Crystal Black 20.25 Leopardstown - Louiescall 18:23 Leopardstown - Chicago Critic The 18:23 features the first Group 3 contest on the card, the Desmond Stakes, run over a mile for three-year-olds and upwards. Chicago Critic, who landed a Listed race over this course and distance in May, is taken to secure this Group 3 prize. His most recent effort was slightly underwhelming; sent off at 11/1, he was never expected to win, but finishing only ninth was below expectations. That run came over a shorter trip at a track he had never previously visited, which could explain the dip in performance. All three of his career victories have come over a mile, and he looks capable of bouncing back today. When winning on his penultimate start he had the measure of several of his rivals here, all of whom were race-fit having already had a run. That was solid form which should stand up again. 18:53 Leopardstown - Crystal Black The second and final Group 3 race on the card is the Ballyroan Stakes, run over a mile and a half. Crystal Black, who won this impressively last year, is fancied to strike again. The seven-year-old enjoyed a flawless campaign last season, winning all four of his starts and showing marked improvement. He began by landing a handicap off a mark of 94 and ended by winning this very race off 113, a remarkable 19lb rise through the season. His winning streak ended on his latest outing, but that came in a competitive Group 3 featuring Jan Brueghel and was his first run of the season after a lengthy absence. He is entitled to strip much fitter for that reappearance and this contest will have been on his connections’ radar for some time. 20:25 Leopardstown - Louiescall The finale on the card is a one mile seven furlong contest for amateur jockeys, with Louiescall taken to go one better than when narrowly denied here last time out. That effort came over a mile and five furlongs, where he finished strongly, the first two pulling well clear of the remainder. He has tackled further in the past, but those runs came in maiden hurdles and don’t give a true reflection of his ability at the trip. Back on the Flat in handicap company, this distance should prove ideal. A 5lb rise for that latest run makes life slightly tougher, but he arrives in good form and should be capable of mounting another bold bid. His rider, Miss Teagan Padgett, recently enjoyed her first career success and will be keen to build on that here.
