Best bets for the horseracing Thursday 28th December 2023

My current form this week reads 2nd, 2nd, P/U, P/U, 2nd - so much for the season of goodwill down at Triple G Towers at the moment! The main action is once again across the Irish Sea at Leopardstown on Thursday and I fancy two out there. It’s heavy on the Hurdle course and soft on the Chase track.

Best bets for the horseracing at Leopardstown

The first race of interest to me at Leopardstown is the 1.50 the 2m7f Grade One Jack De Bromhead Christmas Hurdle. The going is an unknown for them all so a certain amount of guesswork is involved here. Home By The Lee won this last year having won the Railway Bar Lismullen Hurdle prior to that; his season somewhat petered out afterwards. Connections are obviously going a tried and tested route with him as he was third in the Railway Bar Lismullen Hurdle last month on his seasonal reappearance, and I think has questions to answer at the moment so can’t be backing him; he is on the drift. Irish Point got better as the season went on last year and won the G.1 2m4f Turners Mersey Novices' Hurdle in April. He returned to action last month winning a G.3 over two-miles at Down Royal to blow away the cobwebs and if he gets the trip the improving five-year-old grey can take this. He did win on the Heavy during his Flat racing days in France and has plenty of form on soft so all being well the going will be fine. I am on this morning at 11-10.

At 2.25 we have the 3m Grade One Savills Chase and this could be a cracker of a race. Last year's Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs heads the market with this longer trip expected to suit following his third in the 2m3½f G.1 John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase on his seasonal reappearance. His aura of invincibility has dimmed somewhat with two defeats since Cheltenham it has to be said. Fastorslow is the horse that defeated the Gold Cup winner on those two starts, in the John Durkan last month and the 3m G.1 Gold Cup back in April. Second in the 3m1f Ultima Handicap Chase beaten a neck by Corach Rambler he improved at a rate of knots last year and may still have more to give yet. Gerri Colombe has been defeated just the once, in the G.1 3m Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at the Festival last year, beaten the width of a fag paper byThe Real Whacker. The seven-year-old landed the third Grade one victory of his career when out battling Envoi Allen at Down Royal in the 3m Ladbrokes Champion Chase last month. On official ratings the Gordon Elliott trained seven-year-old has it to do here but I think there is more to come from him this year and that we might see even more improvement when he steps up to the extended three-and-a-quarter miles of the Gold Cup. A solid jumper who looks all about staying power to me the biggest concern here is the possibility of a slow gallop; hopefully Conflated and Appreciate It will ensure they go at a fair clip early. I have backed him for this at 11-4 and had an investment for the Gold Cup at the Cheltenham Festival at the 4’s with Coral.

All being well it'll be a Grade One double for Gordon Elliott, Robcour (Brian Acheson) and Jack Kennedy in the pink, black and white silks.

Be lucky