Ben Linfoot tips for Grade One races at Leopardstown's Dublin Racing Festival

Ben Linfoot is our man in Ireland this weekend for the Dublin Racing Festival and here he picks out a Yankee from the Grade One contests on Saturday.

A Plus Tard to take Dublin thriller

Willie Mullins four, Henry De Bromhead three, Pat Fahy one. Those are the trainers and their number of representatives in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase and it promises to be an absolute thriller, but it’s a tricky puzzle to solve.

We have to start with Chacun Pour Soi and A PLUS TARD. They banged heads in the Grade One Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase, also at Leopardstown, over Christmas and there was nothing between them 75 yards from the line.

At the line A Plus Tard had pulled three-and-three-quarter lengths clear, but the market makes Chacun Pour Soi favourite to reverse that form. He could do, after all, that was the Rich Ricci-owned horse’s first run of the campaign and A Plus Tard was race-fit after a run out at Navan the month before.

But 7/4 Chacun and 3/1 A Plus Tard? The discrepancy seems too big. Both horses are improving, but that latest victory from De Bromhead’s horse was a clear career-best. At the prices, it seems foolish to ignore that recent course and distance evidence in favour of the highly-touted Mullins beast.

It’s far from a two-horse race, though.

Also in the pink and green corner we have Min for Mullins-Ricci. The horse that has won this race the last two years, by 12 lengths and six lengths. Those renewals were both weaker than this one, but he still demands respect. The highest-rated horse in the race, he sets the standard.

We shouldn’t forget Cilaos Emery, either. The Mullins third string. He’s a Grade One winner over hurdles, is three from three over fences and deserves a crack at this level now. It’s a step up for him, but he has the scope for improvement and is on the radar if he drifts in the betting in the face of support for the big three.

Last year’s Arkle winner, Duc Des Genievres, the Mullins fourth string, is 40/1. It’s crazy to think the recent Arkle winner is that price, but he’s been beaten by A Plus Tard, Cilaos Emery, Chacun Pour Soi and Min in four different contests, so it’s hard to make the case for him.

De Bromhead’s other two runners, Ordinary World and Ornua, are good horses, but they have a mountain to climb against the big guns here. The same can be said for Fahy’s Castlegrace Paddy. But the outsiders could play an important role in this race, particularly perennial pace-setter Ornua who usually leads at a good gallop.

He likely will again here, ensuring a strong pace for stablemate A Plus Tard in the process. The Cheveley Park-owned horse needs a thorough test at this trip and he got it at Christmas thanks to Mullins’ Cadmium. This time, Ornua looks likely to guarantee he gets the race run to suit.

There is not an awful lot between the four horses heading the market. But A Plus Tard comes into the race on the back of a career-best run over the course and distance. A strong gallop that day suited and he should get it again. He’s taken to confirm the form with Chacun Pour Soi and see off the rest of Team Mullins as well.

Selection: A Plus Tard

Back Sharjah to deny Honey' monster

If Mullins and Ricci are scuppered by De Bromhead in the Dublin Chase they could well gain their revenge less than two hours later when SHARJAH takes on Honeysuckle in the PCI Irish Champion Hurdle.

Honeysuckle is unbeaten and gets a 7lb allowance, while she was very impressive in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse on December 1. However, while that was a career best, I’m not sure she achieved an awful lot in the context of this level when beating Bacardys and she still has something to prove against Sharjah who is developing a love affair with Leopardstown.

This will reveal if she has the guns for two miles on the biggest stage, but all of her best form so far has been over further and this is a hugely different environment to that she is used to. She has more to prove than the market reckons for my money and she’ll have to improve her jumping if she is to prevail.

Sharjah looks a much more solid proposition at a bigger price. He’s had his problems, but he’s had a clear run this season and improved a bundle from his reappearance when winning the Grade One Matheson Hurdle (for the second consecutive year) at this track over the festive period.

Stablemate Klassical Dream would be a threat on the form of his Grade One novice hurdle wins at Cheltenham and Punchestown last spring, but he seems to have lost his confidence in open company this season. He could bounce back, but you couldn’t have a confident wager on him after his last run.

Selection: Sharjah

Notebook horse can go in again

It’s De Bromhead v Mullins again, with Joseph O’Brien thrown in the mix, in the Grade One ERSG Arkle Novice Chase and yet again form from the Christmas meeting at this track dominates the preamble.

On Boxing Day we expected a Laurina v Fakir D’Oudairies smash-up in the Grade One Racing Post Novice Chase, but the Mullins mare fluffed her lines and was pulled up. She goes to Sandown on Saturday now, with a retrieval mission in the Scilly Isles Novice Chase.

Fakir D’Oudairies couldn’t take advantage of Laurina’s struggles, however, with De Bromhead’s NOTEBOOK taking his record to three from three over fences with a resolute display of jumping and galloping under Rachael Blackmore.

Perhaps Fakir D’Oudairies, who was ridden more aggressively on his first two starts over fences, will revert to more forcing tactics under Mark Walsh on Saturday in a bid to reverse the form.

Tactics certainly look important here, with at least three of Mullins’ quartet likely to be ridden forward. Cash Back, Bapaume and Melon are all likely to be prominent throughout and all three are promising novice chasers. The likely outsider of that specific Mullins trio, Cash Back, arguably has the best form of the three over fences.

But they will all have to improve to have a chance of beating Notebook. De Bromhead’s charge fully deserves his market position as Arkle favourite at Cheltenham and he’s jumped beautifully during all three novice chase starts so far.

His bubble could be burst here, but he has the best chasing form on offer and is taken to do the bubble bursting himself.

Selection: Notebook

Poet to spring minor shock

Some nice novices clash in the Grade One Nathaniel Lacy & Ptnrs Solicitors “50,000 Cheltenham Bonus For Stable Staff” Novice Hurdle but only Gordon Elliott’s Fury Road is proven over the 2m6f trip.

He’s putting together a nice sequence of wins but Vis Ta Loi didn’t do much for his recent Limerick form at Thurles and it could be worth taking a chance on something improving past him at the distance here.

Elixir D’Ainey and LONGHOUSE POET finished behind Envoi Allen in the Grade One Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle last time out but Martin Brassil’s horse could well reverse form with Willie Mullins’ six-year-old now he steps up another few furlongs on trip.

The son of Yeats kept on well at Naas despite a slight error at the last and the extra quarter mile in distance looks sure to suit. Not only does his running style suggest so, but also his pedigree, as he’s closely related to 3m2f chase winner Longhousesignora and a dour stayer in Moscow Presents.

He’s talented, as his maiden hurdle success showed as well as his effort at the top level at Naas, and he’s worth chancing to cause a minor shock now he steps up further in trip.

Latest Exhibition is a big danger, as he looks set to thrive up in distance as well and he got the better of Andy Dufresne at Navan last time out. Like a few of these, he could be Albert Bartlett-bound, and you wouldn’t rule out big runs from the Gigginstown second and third strings, Cobbler’s Way and Assemble, either.

Selection: Longhouse Poet