Dublin Racing Festival: Day One Tips

Day one of this year’s Dublin Racing Festival gets underway on Saturday.

The card runs from 1.40 - 4.20 and there are no fewer than four Grade 1 races on each day of the meeting. Day one also features a couple of competitive handicaps and a Grade 2 bumper.

We have selections for three of the races on Saturday’s card including the Irish Gold Cup (3.35).

3.35 - Irish Gold Cup (Grade 1)

There may only be four runners for this year’s Irish Gold Cup, but it features the match of the weekend with Galopin Des Champs bidding to get revenge on Fastorslow.

Galopin Des Champs won this race last year in fine style and he’s put two more jaw-dropping performances in since that run, winning the Gold Cup at Cheltenham and his win against Gerri Colombe in the Savills Chase at this venue last time out was arguably equally as impressive.

However, Fastorslow has turned the Gold Cup winner over twice in between those runs.

His win in the Punchestown Gold Cup was generally considered something of a fluke, but he put that myth to bed when winning the John Durkan with a fair amount in hand on this season’s return and he’s entitled to come on for that performance here.

Galopin Des Champs has achieved more with his peak performances, but there’s probably more to come from Fastorslow stepping back up in trip on just his seventh chase start and he’s been underestimated in the market at around 3-1.

Selection: Fastorslow

3.00 Handicap Hurdle (Listed)

It’s probably fair to say that the better betting races on the card are away from the Grade 1 action and the Listed Handicap Hurdle appears to be a tough race to find the winner of on paper.

It’s easy to see why Fine Margin is at the head of the market after his big run in a valuable Grade 3 at Haydock last time out. That was his first run for Willie Mullins and he only lost out to another well handicapped Irish raider in Slate Lane.

The form received a huge boost by the third, Crambo, winning the Long Walk back at Ascot in December and he isn’t the only one from that contest to boost the form, with three others in behind winning subsequently.

However, he’s been well found in the market for obvious reasons that include his form and his lightly-raced profile for the Irish Champion trainer who has a remarkable record at this meeting.

At much bigger odds, it might be worth taking an each-way flyer on Extrapolation. He ran okay when hitting the frame at Punchestown in December and he was then backed like defeat was out of the question at Cork since.

He could only finish fifth of eight in that Cork race, but the market support was probably significant and there’s a few reasons to think he may improve stepping up in trip.

The son of Mahler is yet to be tried over this far under rules, but he was a point-to-point winner in his younger days and he’s shaped like this sort of trip will suit under rules, including at Punchestown recently and when winning at Listowel in September.

It’s fair to say that this contest is a whole new ball game for him and a much more competitive race than some of his recent assignments, but drying ground will suit and with an unexposed profile over this sort of distance, he might just be worth chancing at huge odds.

Selection: Extrapolation

4.10 Handicap Chase (Listed)

There’s another competitive handicap later on the card in the form of a Listed Handicap Chase.

Path D’oroux is the early favourite, but he looks risky given his frailties in the jumping department and there’s probably better value elsewhere in the race.

The one that appeals most is The Big Chap who was runner-up over this course and distance over Christmas behind The Folkes Tiara.

He was closing on the winner all the way to the line that day and may have finished much closer, or even won, if he had not jumped markedly out to the right at the final fence.

He’s 3lb better off with that rival for just a one-and-a-quarter length defeat and given that he is still improving over fences, he could be the one to beat.

Selection: The Big Chap