Leopardstown festival: Gordon Elliott and Gavin Cromwell pursue major staying handicap chase double

Willie Mullins set to saddle 10 runners in €200k Paddy Power Chase on day two of Leopardstown

After winning the Troytown Chase last month, Stuzzikini will go for Gordon Elliott in  the Welsh Grand National. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
After winning the Troytown Chase last month, Stuzzikini will go for Gordon Elliott in the Welsh Grand National. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho

Those who relish a valuable staying handicap chase are spoiled for choice on Friday with Leopardstown’s €200,000 Paddy Power Chase coming just 10 minutes after the Coral Welsh Grand National.

A trio of Irish hopefuls will contest the marathon Chepstow test, won twice before by horses trained in this country. Gavin Cromwell’s stalwart Rax De Maree landed the 2017 renewal, following in Notre Pere’s hoofprints in 2008.

Cromwell tries again with the lightly weighted Evies Vladmir while Gordon Elliott pitches in both the first-time blinkered Where It All Began and his Troytown hero Stuzzikini. The Welsh National is off at 2.50.

Shortly afterwards, both Elliott (five runners) and Cromwell (two) will be in Paddy Power action as 28 horses are due to contest Leopardstown’s fiercely competitive day two Christmas festival highlight.

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Sandwiched in between the two big handicaps is a mouthwatering Kempton novice clash between Willie Mullins’s Ballyburn and exciting English horse Sir Gingo, while a pair of Grade One contests at Leopardstown includes the mercurial Gaelic Warrior’s reappearance.

Although trying to tease out what side of the bed Gaelic Warrior has got out of will be fascinating, for many punters the Paddy Power’s handicap puzzle will be of primary interest.

Ballyburn, ridden by Paul Townend, on his way to winning at Punchestown last month. Photograph: Peter Mooney/Inpho
Ballyburn, ridden by Paul Townend, on his way to winning at Punchestown last month. Photograph: Peter Mooney/Inpho

Jump racing’s Big Four trainers will saddle 19 of the 28 runners between them, with Mullins set to run 10. They include last year’s winner Meetingofthewaters who emulated Castlebawn West’s 2020 romp by dominating the finish 12 months ago.

It was Panda Boy’s unfortunate lot to fill the runner-up slot in 2023, his second Paddy Power placing. Martin Brassil brings him for a “third time lucky” attempt and Panda Boy will be joined by stable companion Desertmore House.

The latter is a former Kerry National winner who ran an encouraging race over hurdles last month and may step up enough to improve on last year’s eighth on much softer going in this race.

Mullins’s massive team includes last season’s Scottish National hero MacDermott who should also relish ground conditions while another to reckon with looks to be Barry Connell’s Hgrancia De Thaix.

Earlier, Connell’s stable star Marine Nationale will try to bounce back to winning form in the E125,000 Rewards Club Chase where the reigning two-mile champion Captain Guinness also lines up alongside last year’s winner Dinoblue.

Throw in the 2022 winner Blue Lord as well as the progressive Found A Fifty and it would be an impressively competitive heat were it not for Gaelic Warrior’s potentially overwhelming presence.

Danny Mullins onboard Macdermott. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho
Danny Mullins onboard Macdermott. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho

If the best version of Gaelic Warrior that overcame his habit of jumping left to win Cheltenham’s Arkle shows up it’s hard to see any of these coping with him. If in that mood, the horse described by jockey Patrick Mullins as a “beast” when at his best is unlikely to be overly troubled by a lack of race fitness.

“Leopardstown maybe hasn’t seen him at his best in the past and obviously he’s making his first start of the season against horses who have had a run, so it won’t be straightforward.

“He is the best horse in the race, but if there is a day that he might be vulnerable this year, it might be this. But we’re very happy with him at home and we’re expecting a big run,” the rider said.

The following Future Champions Novice Hurdle sees Sam Ewing team up with Romeo Coolio for Elliott who also saddles Bleu De Vassy. Romeo Coolio’s resolution has been doubted since his Royal Bond defeat and his stable companion may prove more straightforward.

Bioluminescence has a first start over fences in Limerick’s Grade Two highlight although the former point-to-point winner can successfully overcome that against half a dozen opponents.

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor is the racing correspondent of The Irish Times. He also writes the Tipping Point column