Strong entries for Dublin Racing Festival handicaps

Entries and weights for the five handicap races at next month’s Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown were released this afternoon.

Dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo, Aintree Grand National hero Minella Times, Heaven Help Us and Epson Du Houx are notable handicap entries while unbeaten bumper stars American Mike, The Big Doyen, The Model Kingdom and Facile Vega are among the eyecatchers in the bumpers at Leopardstown on Saturday, February 5 and Sunday, February 6.

Al Boum Photo is among the entries for Saturday’s three-mile Paddy Power Handicap Hurdle. His trainer Willie Mullins also has last year’s winner Maze Runner, the former Triumph Hurdle winner Burning Victory, the long-absent Castlebawn West, Finest Evermore and My Sister Sarah on his early team.

The Oliver McKiernan-trained Unexpected Depth and Edward and Patrick Harty’s Damalisque, second and third in the race last year, are entered once again while Martin Brassil’s Panda Boy, the Edward O'Grady-trained Priory Park and Tony Martin’s Good Time Jonny, all winners at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival, also feature.

Successful in the race last year, A Wave Of The Sea is among the early line-up for the Paddy Power Handicap Steeplechase. Topping the early weights is the Henry de Bromhead-trained Epson Du Houx, a winner on his most recent start at Cork in November and at the opposite end of the handicap is the recent Naas winner Fighting Fit, trained by Philip Dempsey.

The John Ryan-trained Grange Walk beat Jessica Harrington’s Exit Poll to win at Leopardstown over Christmas and both horses might well clash again in the first handicap chase of the Dublin Racing Festival.

While the Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle is also a Dublin Racing Festival option, trainer Paul Hennessy has entered his stable star Heaven Help Us for the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Paddy Mullins Mares Handicap Hurdle on Sunday, February 6.

She narrowly got the better of the Joseph O'Brien-trained Global Equity to win last year en route to Cheltenham Festival glory and the pair could renew Leopardstown rivalry in a race that might also feature O'Brien’s Lunar Display, Gavin Cromwell’s Brides Hill, the Gordon Elliott-trained Party Central and All Class, trained by Ronan McNally.

Minella Times tops the weights for the Leopardstown Handicap Chase. Henry de Bromhead’s charge produced one of the great sporting stories of 2021 when going on to win the Aintree Grand National under Rachael Blackmore after finishing runner-up in the Leopardstown Handicap Chase and his trainer has also entered Spyglass Hill, successful at Limerick over Christmas.

Gordon Elliott has last time out winners Conflated, Smoking Gun and Fakir D’alene on his team of 11 while Blackbow and Agusta Gold head a squad of seven for Willie Mullins. The Shunter, trained by Emmet Mullins, Noel Meade’s Daly Tiger, the Ted Walsh-trained Any Second Now, John Flavin’s Street Value and the Joseph O'Brien-trained Busselton are other notable early entries.

A winner over hurdles at the Punchestown and Galway Festivals and more recently on the Flat at York, the John Queally-trained Arcadian Sunrise heads 50 entries for the two-mile Liffey Handicap Hurdle. Last year’s winner Drop The Anchor is also engaged for Pat Fahy with the recent Fairyhouse scorer Autumn Evening featuring for Jessica Harrington along with the Henry de Bromhead-trained Gua Du Large.

Willie Mullins’ seven entries include Echoes In Rain, Farout and the less exposed Allegorie De Vassy, while the much-improved Top Bandit, Eskylane, Glan and Magic Tricks are among Gordon Elliott’s team of eight. Also included are Lucky Max and Clarens, winners of their last three races for Sean Doyle and John Flavin respectively, and Martin Brassil’s An Epic Song.

Along with eight Grade 1 races and five handicaps, Dublin Racing Festival also features a Grade 2 bumper on each day. American Mike, unbeaten in two starts for Gordon Elliott, heads 13 entries for the final race on the opening day of the festival, the Grade 2 Goffs Future Stars INH Flat Race. Elliott also has another Navan winner, Itswhatunitesus, and Santonito in the race while Willie Mullins has entered four previous winners, Leopardstown scorers Embassy Gardens, Facile Vega and Redemption Day and the runaway Tramore winner Viva Devito.

The Big Doyen, another two-time winner, has been entered by Peter Fahey while Paul Nolan’s easy Punchestown scorer Sandor Clegane is among the 10 previous winners in the early line up.

The final race of the Dublin Racing Festival on Sunday is the Grade 2 Coolmore NH Sires Santiago Irish EBF Mares INH Flat Race and 18 of the 21 entries are previous winners. Noel Meade’s The Model Kingdom, unbeaten in two starts, and the John Kiely-trained Hi Stranger are the dual winners in the early line-up.

Willie Mullins has made seven entries with the Listowel festival winner Pink In The Park among them while Harmonya Maker looks to head a trio from the Gordon Elliott stable.

Tim Husbands, CEO of Leopardstown Racecourse, said: “Today’s entries have really enforced the quality on display across the two days of Dublin Racing Festival. With the recent lifting of restrictions there’s a real feel-good factor in the air ahead of Saturday February 5 and Sunday February 6 and my team and I are really looking forward to top class national hunt racing back in front of a full capacity crowd.

“I want to extend our gratitude to Paddy Power who have extended their sponsorship to include the Paddy Power Handicap Hurdle and the Paddy Power Handicap Steeplechase - it’s through the support of our great sponsors across both days that we have such a mouth-watering festival on our hands.”