Preview and tips ahead of Dublin Racing Festival

There are eight Grade Ones across the two-day spectacular at Leopardstown and we have previewed the pick of the action.

Make sure to check out the latest horse racing betting at Boylesports.

The feature event of the two-day extravaganza is the €200,000 Irish Champion Hurdle (3.10pm) on Sunday over two miles. The Henry de Bromhead-trained Honeysuckle is chasing a fourth straight win in the contest as she continues her farewell tour this season. She suffered the first defeat of her career when failing to justify odds-on favouritism at Fairyhouse in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle last time out, but remains the one to beat at a course at which she is unbeaten.

She also benefits from the mares’ allowance and is therefore in receipt of 7lb from her rivals. However, this will be no easy task. Willie Mullins has won this event a record six times and he has two fascinating runners in the shape of State Man and Vauban.

The pair faced off in the Matheson Hurdle at Leopardstown in December with State Man running out a ready four and a quarter-length winner on that occasion. It looks probable that there is even more improvement to come from the six-year-old and he is a serious player in this event. Vauban is also interesting despite five-year-olds having a poor record in this race and he remains open to all sorts of improvement.

The highlight of Saturday’s card is the €250,000 Irish Gold Cup at 3.05pm. The Willie Mullins-trained Galopin Des Champs is already the general 13/8 favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup and he can land the Irish equivalent en-route to a tilt at Prestbury Park. He has not looked back since slipping after the final fence at last year’s Cheltenham Festival and he oozed class on his return in the John Durkan Memorial. He is tough to oppose given the manner in which he travels and jumps in his races. Stattler is another who commands plenty of respect taking on his stable companion and the Cheltenham Festival scorer will come on a bundle for his reappearance at Tramore in January.

Triumph Hurdle favourite Lossiemouth is the headline act in the €155,000 Spring Juvenile Hurdle at 1.55pm on Saturday. She is unbeaten in two starts for Willie Mullins and impressed at Leopardstown last time out.

The €150,000 Irish Arkle Novice Chase (2.30pm) is another cracking race in which Willie Mullins has five of the eight runners. They include Appreciate It, Dysart Dynamo and El Fabiolo who are all unbeaten over fences.

Facile Vega is another of the headline acts on show on Sunday in the €150,000 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle (3.40pm). Unbeaten in six career starts, the Champion Bumper hero landed a first Grade One over hurdles at Leopardstown in December and is tough to oppose here with course and distance scorers High Definition and Dark Raven both respected.

Leopardstown selections

Saturday

1.20pm Good Land

1.55pm Lossiemouth

2.30pm Appreciate It

3.05pm Galopin Des Champs

3.40pm Maxxum

4.10pm Final Orders

4.40pm Fascile Mode

Sunday

1.10pm Innatendue

1.40pm Mighty Potter

2.10pm Blue Lord

2.40pm Indigo Breeze

3.10pm State Man

3.40pm Facile Vega

4.10pm Icare Allen

4.40pm Fancy Girl