The 2025 Dublin Racing Festival draws to a close on Sunday, but not before viewers have enjoyed one of the best National Hunt cards of the entire season.
Four Grade Ones will be run on Sunday, along with three excellent handicaps and the Grade Two Mares' Flat Race. Here are our best betting tips on day two of the Dublin Racing Festival.
2025 Dublin Racing Festival Day 2 Tips
12:40pm Leopardstown - Mares Handicap Hurdle Tips
I would love to see Queens Gamble go and win Sunday's opener, as it may encourage more British trainers to target the handicaps at the DRF. Harry Derham's raider is certainly classy enough to win this and could still be well-handicapped. Yet, only two of the 14 winners of this handicap have carried more than 10-12 to victory, so the stats are firmly against the top-weight.
Colm Murphy is an excellent handler of mares and I fancy an each-way punt on his runner here, SAVANTE (12/1). An easy bumper winner at Punchestown in June, Savante cruised to victory on her first hurdles start at Tramore back in October and went into the Grade Three Mares' Novices' Hurdle at Down Royal as the 11/4 favourite.
Savante then didn't jump well enough to make much progress from the rear that day and was brought down on her handicap debut here at Leopardstown over Christmas. Savante was making stealthy progress from the rear, but tripped over a faller at the second-last, so the mistake wasn't of her own making. Conor Stone-Walsh comes in to take five pounds off Savante's back and her breeding suggests she could be even more effective on softer ground.
1:10pm Leopardstown - Ladbrokes Novice Chase Tips
I find myself leaning away from Ballyburn here, and I'm not totally sure why. Willie Mullins' star was a brilliant novice hurdler and was far from disgraced behind Sir Gino at Kempton. On breeding, this step up in trip should be ideal and his form around Leopardstown is excellent.
However, I simply cannot get my head around the price of CROKE PARK (20/1). Gordon Elliott's seven-year-old showed gears I didn't know he had when winning the Drinmore at Fairyhouse and followed up with a second Grade One success at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival.
Croke Park beat stablemate Better Days Ahead in that Grade One, yet the latter is half his price. Champ Kiely has run in one Beginners Chase in the last 21 months, and he's a 6/1 shot. The ground will be softer on Sunday than it was over Christmas, which should be more suitable for Croke Park. 20/1 is a ridiculous price.
I'm really hoping to see KOPEK DES BORDES (11/10) put on a show on Sunday. Willie Mullins stepped Sir Gerhard and Ballyburn up in trip for the Turners' Novices' Hurdle after landing this Grade One, and my first ante-post tip for the 2025 Cheltenham Festival was Kopek Des Bordes for the two-and-a-half miler at 14/1.
Willie's five-year-old won his maiden hurdle here at Leopardstown over Christmas, despite a dreadful round of jumping. Stablemate Kawaboomga was beaten three lengths in second that day, and romped to victory on his next start. Kopek Des Bordes' time was almost identical to Workahead's in the following maiden, which is impressive considering they were poles apart in the jumping department.
Kaid d'Authie is a credible opponent and Bleu De Vassy is hard to knock. Yet, I fancy that Kopek Des Bordes is Willie Mullins' best novice hurdler and a good victory on Sunday would set him up perfectly for a tilt at the Turners.
Paul Townend riding El Fabiolo comfortably win 2024 The Ladbrokes Dublin Chase. (Getty)
2:10pm Leopardstown - Dublin Chase Tips
I have no interest whatsoever in backing Gaelic Warrior at 4/5. Willie Mullins' favourite is very talented. However, there's plenty of evidence to suggest that Leopardstown isn't his ideal track and Paul Townend's mount would want the ground to be much softer than it will be this weekend.
On ratings, Gaelic Warrior still has seven pounds to find with EL FABIOLO (6/1), who'll be making his seasonal reappearance on Sunday. Willie Mullins' star made it six-from-six over fences when cruising to victory in this race 12 months ago, before flopping as the favourite in the Champion Chase, where he was pulled up after jumping just four fences.
Some have claimed that his defeat in the Celebration Chase is more evidence of a downturn in form. Yet, El Fabiolo was only beaten four lengths by Jonbon - who is sensational around Sandown - having produced another error-strewn round of jumping.
The El Fabiolo vibes from Closutton haven't been that encouraging, but his declaration suggests that he must finally have come to hand. I'm still not sure that he'll be 100% and a good run should set El Fabiolo up for a tilt at the Ryanair Chase - for which I've backed him at 7/1. Yet, if Gaelic Warrior underperforms again, even a 90% fit El Fabiolo is classy enough to beat the rest of this field.
I'm going to have a small punt on MONBEG PARK (9/1), who returns after a winter break. Sean Doyle's imposing gelding struggled initially over fences but found his form over the summer, winning at Wexford before finishing second on his three most recent appearances.
Monbeg Park was beaten twice by Gorgeous Tom, with a runner-up effort to Jordans sandwiched in between. Both have gone close in Grade One company since, earning marks in the mid-140s. Monbeg Park remains on a rating of 138 and Tiernan Roche's claimer reduces his burden to 10-07. If ready to rock and roll after a 90-day absence, Monbeg Park could go close.
I'm not that keen to back anything in this handicap hurdle. If money arrives for Brave Troop, MacLaurey and Storm Heart, then CAPPUCINO (14/1) could drift out to a much more appealing price.
Liz Doyle's six-year-old is a second-season novice and ran well on his Leopardstown debut over Christmas, staying on from well off the pace to place fifth behind Enniskerry. This race looks much deeper, so he'll have to improve plenty to get involved, but there's still plenty of upside to Richie Deegan's mount and I wouldn't be shocked to see Cappucino hit the frame.
4:25pm Leopardstown - Mares I.N.H. Flat Race Tips
No bet for me in the bumper, I'm happy to take a watching brief.
Verdict
Sunday's Top Tips at Leopardstown:
Best Bet1: Kopek Des Bordes 1:40pm Leopardstown @110.00 at Bc.Game Sport - 5 Units
Best Bet2: El Fabiolo 2:10pm Leopardstown @700.00 at dabble.com - 5 Units
Best Bet3: Monbeg Park E/W 2:45pm Leopardstown @900.00 at Vave - 5 Units
Best Bet4: Savante E/W 12:40pm Leopardstown @1200.0 at Betonline - 5 Units
