The Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown, originally scheduled for Saturday 31 January and Sunday 1 February, now stretches into Monday after yesterday’s card was lost to a failed inspection and pushed back 48 hours.
With the rearranged opener set for Monday and today’s programme going ahead as planned, we still have eight Grade 1 races on the menu across the two days – and a familiar theme running through almost all of them: Willie Mullins holds the favourites’ slot in six.
It’s an extraordinary achievement from a training point of view, but it also raises some awkward questions about competition and depth at the very top of Irish jump racing.
Before getting into those bigger issues, it’s worth walking through each Grade 1, the headline favourite, and why they all have very real chances of justifying their lofty positions in the market – regardless of whether they line up on Sunday or on rescheduled Monday.
Sunday Grade 1s – Three Mullins’ Hotshots
Ladbrokes Novice Chase
The Ladbrokes Novice Chase, the first Grade 1 of the day sees Willie Mullins’ runner, Final Demand, at the top of the betting.
He has quickly established himself as one of the most exciting novice chasers in Ireland, winning stylishly and jumping with the kind of accuracy that makes life easy for his jockey.
His profile suggests he has more to come as the season goes on, and Leopardstown’s fair but demanding chase track should be a good place for him to showcase that progression.
Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle
Sunday’s novice hurdle over two miles now has King Rasko Grey at the head of the market, a Willie Mullins youngster with a big reputation.
He has shaped like a serious prospect this season, travelling strongly in his races and finding plenty when asked, the sort of profile that naturally pushes a horse towards the forefront of Supreme Novices’ Hurdle conversations.
Leopardstown gives him the perfect stage to confirm that promise, and with conditions set to place the emphasis on stamina as well as speed, his proven ability to see his races out strongly is a major asset.
Joseph O’Brien’s Talk The Talk, the previous favourite until his odds drifted, remains a key danger after that heart‑in‑mouth fall at the last in the Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Christmas.
However, with King Rasko Grey now holding clear favourite status for Mullins, this looks very much like another big Dublin Racing Festival novice spotlight shining on Closutton.
Ladbrokes Dublin Chase
In the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase, Majborough has drafted in the betting markets, tussling at the top with Marine Nationale.
This was always a race that could go any of three ways and Majborough was always looking the more vulnerable one in the eyes of many pundits.
He’s a talented six‑year‑old with a Grade 1 engine, but his jumping has occasionally been less than bullet‑proof, which is a concern in a two‑mile chase where every fence comes up quickly.
Marine Nationale and Solness both finished ahead of him last time they met, yet the market still gives him the nod on potential and the sense that he’s not the finished article just yet.
Irish Champion Hurdle
The Irish Champion Hurdle revolves around Lossiemouth, the brilliant mare who has already won at multiple Cheltenham Festivals and now steps forward as the new standard bearer in the two‑mile hurdle division.
With State Man absent, she has taken over at the top of the market after a smooth seasonal win at Leopardstown, where she had Brighterdaysahead behind her.
Her record at the track, her tactical speed and her proven class at Grade 1 level mean she fully deserves to be a short price.
Brighterdaysahead is a genuine danger, but Lossiemouth’s profile screams “proper champion in waiting”, and she’ll be very hard to beat if she runs her race.
Monday’s Grade 1s – Four Big Tests
Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Novice Hurdle
The meeting opens with the 2m6f Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle, where Doctor Steinberg heads the betting for Mullins.
He’s unbeaten over hurdles so far and looked well above average when landing a Grade 2 at Navan in December, travelling strongly and putting the race to bed without any drama.
If he copes with the hustle of a bigger field and the longer trip, he has a perfectly legitimate favourite’s chance.
Spring Juvenile Hurdle
In the juvenile Grade 1, Narciso Has is another Mullins hotpot after a visually impressive success at Leopardstown over Christmas, where he powered clear by a wide margin over two miles.
He did, however, finish behind Gordon Elliott’s Mange Tout earlier in the season at Fairyhouse, which keeps him honest and makes this more than just a penalty kick.
Still, his latest win suggested he has taken a big step forward, and if he continues that upward curve, he’s entitled to go very close again.
Goffs Irish Arkle Novice Chase
The Goffs Irish Arkle has ended up with only three runners, and Romeo Coolio, from Gordon Elliott, is a short‑priced favourite after back‑to‑back Grade 1 wins over fences.
He was particularly good at Leopardstown over Christmas, where he needed every yard of the trip but still found enough to grind past a strong rival after the last.
His jumping has been assured since going chasing, and with his main potential danger, Kopek Des Bordes, absent, the race now looks like his to lose on ratings and recent form.
Irish Gold Cup
The Saturday headline act is the Irish Gold Cup, where Galopin Des Champs bids for a historic fourth straight win in the race.
He already has three Irish Gold Cups and two Cheltenham Gold Cups on his record, and returned to Leopardstown at Christmas with another rock‑solid effort in the Savills Chase.
At this point, the track, trip, and fences all feel like home territory for him, and he retains enough of his old spark to justify his position at the head of the market around 6/4.
Mullins’ Dominance – Brilliance With A Cost
There’s no getting away from it: Willie Mullins is a master of his craft.
He has built Closutton into a slick, professional, hugely successful operation that attracts the best owners, some of the most expensive bloodstock, and a conveyor belt of top‑class horses.
Having six of the favourites across eight Grade 1s at a major festival is astonishing, and on one level it’s a testament to decades of hard work, good judgement and meticulous planning.
From a pure sporting point of view, watching horses like Galopin Des Champs, Lossiemouth, and his next wave of novices is a privilege.
But if one yard’s dominance is impressive, it’s also a little uncomfortable.
When a single trainer can routinely sweep the Grade 1 markets, it squeezes opportunities for others, discourages some owners from spreading their horses around, and can make top‑level racing feel more like a Mullins roadshow than a genuinely open contest.
The Irish pattern races increasingly feature Mullins v Mullins v “anyone else brave enough”, and while punters and fans respect his achievements, there is a growing sense that competitive balance is suffering.
It’s not Willie Mullins’ fault – he is simply doing his job as well as anyone has ever done it – but it does highlight structural issues about where the best horses go and how concentrated the sport has become at the top.
The Three‑runner Arkle Problem
Nothing illustrates the concern better than the Goffs Irish Arkle cutting up to just three runners.
It should be one of the great novice chases of the season, a clash of emerging stars; instead, with Kopek Des Bordes staying at home for Cheltenham, it’s essentially Romeo Coolio versus two lower‑rated rivals.
From a punter’s perspective, it becomes a near match‑race with little each‑way interest; from a sporting perspective, it feels flat for a Grade 1 on a flagship weekend.
There are understandable reasons: trainers are increasingly minded to protect horses for Cheltenham, the programme book offers plenty of options, and nobody wants to take on a short‑priced favourite for the sake of it with a horse who might be better off waiting for an easier spot.
But when a major Grade 1 at a showpiece festival consistently risks single‑digit, even three‑runner fields, it does raise questions about whether the pattern and incentives are right.
What we’re left with is a slightly odd paradox. On the one hand, we have exceptional horses, brilliantly trained, running at a superb track in front of a knowledgeable crowd – exactly what the sport should want.
On the other hand, we have lop‑sided markets, small fields in marquee races, and the feeling that a handful of mega‑yards and mega‑owners now control most of the meaningful action.
That doesn’t mean Dublin Racing Festival won’t be hugely enjoyable – it will, because quality always is – but it does mean the sport may need to think harder about how to keep its biggest days both brilliant and properly competitive.
BETFRED
