Day Two Dublin Racing Festival Preview - 07/02/21

The first race on day two of the Dublin Racing Festival is the 2m2f Mares Handicap Hurdle and the horse that catches our eye at a nice price is Mrs Milner for trainer Paul Nolan.

The six year old has been a highly consistent horse for the yard over the last few seasons showing win and place form over two and three miles.

This season the mare made her debut at Galway in July and and was a good winner of a Mares Handicap Hurdle over two miles.

She then went to Ballinrobe and finished a good third a in a similar event when stepping up to 2m6f and was upped to three miles next time out at Cheltenham in November.

She finished a superb neck second to On The Blind Side for Nicky Henderson that day, who has since gone on to frank the form, placing in a Grade Two and winning a strong event after that.

Last time out Mrs Milner was a good fourth of 20 runners in a Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle over three miles at Leopardstown.

Having form over a lesser trip makes sure she will handle this race and should be the stamina option at a nice each way price.

The first Grade One event of the day at Leopardstown is the Spring Juvenile Hurdle over two miles and the favourite Quilixios is hard to look past.

The gelding has only been seen three times in his career, winning in March at Compiegne in France in a conditions hurdle race and from there was bought by the owners and sent over to Ireland.

He made his debut for the yard at Punchestown earlier in the month and hosed up by 13 lengths, showing signs that Elliott could have another Envoi Allen.

He then went to Down Royal last time out in October and was another impressive winner of a 3-Y-O Hurdle, seeing off the field by 20 lengths.

This youngster could turn out to be anything, and off the back of his last three starts to date, he looks a seriously sharp prospect and it will be interesting to see him stepped up to this class on Sunday after a small break.

We can't look past the favourite Appreciate it for Willie Mullins in this event, with the six year old showing the best form on offer in the race to date and looking to stay on that upward, improving curve.

He ran in four bumpers last term, finishing third on his rules debut at Fairyhouse but since then he has turned into a different animal.

He bolted up at Christmas at Leopardstown in a two and a half mile bumper not seeing a rival for the last two furlongs.

At the same track he landed a Grade Two in the same form as his other win and he then went to the Cheltenham festival where he was a narrow second behind stablemate Ferny Hollow in the Grade One Champion Bumper.

Mullins has stepped him up to hurdles this season and on debut was comfortable winner at Cork and that form has been franked with the second placed horse since going on to win twice since.

Appreciate it also cemented the form line when entered into the Grade One Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas and went on to dominate a strong field by close to 10 lengths.

Although many think he might be better suited over a longer trip, Mullins has not been shy of putting a horse that stays further into two miles event and it would need a serious performance from another horse to beat him.

The William Fry Handicap Hurdle over three miles sees JP McManus hold a superb chance with a fair amount of runners, but the one we are siding with is Damalisque.

The Edward Harty trained eight year old looks to be a bit of a handicap blot with his current mark and off the back of his last run should go close again.

The gelding was a good second in November at Naas over 2m4f on soft heavy ground and then last time out at Navan in heavy ground, went on to land a decent event by close to eight lengths.

He is now stepping up to three miles which will suit him down to the ground and although up 12lb for his last win looks a horse on the upgrade and still well treated in the weights.

Monkfish is the leading three mile novice hurdler in Ireland this season and so far during his elusive career has not done much wrong at all and we fancy him to keep his winning run going in this Grade One.

The Willie Mullins trained gelding was bought by Rich Ricci at Cheltenham in 2018 for £235,000 off the back of winning a point to point and since then they have not looked back with this horse.

In 2019 he was ran twice, once in a bumper and once over hurdles finishing second on both occasions behind smart horses in Diol Ker and Longhouse Poet.

Since then he has gone on to be a superstar being unbeaten in three hurdle event and on both his chase starts showing clear staying ability and this term a superb jumping temperament.

Having won at Fairyhouse and at Thurles last term over large distances, he went to the Cheltenham festival and managed to stay three miles the best of the runners to just get up in the Grade One Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle.

Sent chasing by Mullins this term he landed his debut at Fairyhouse with ease and used that run to improve further when managing to see off Latest Exhibition in a Grade One Novice Chase at Leopardstown.

Although dropping slightly in trip he should still be the one to beat in this race, but will have to be on top form renewing his rivalry with Latest Exhibition.

Melon is the second runner for Willie Mullins and a bit of a surprise entry having been looking to not stay over the same course and distance in the Savills Chase over Christmas, when just fading into third, but we think being ridden with different tactics on Sunday makes him the value in the race.

That run was still a extremely special effort, having taken on stablemate Kemboy from a long way out and just not having enough in the tank in the final stages.

Mullins has said he will be ran differently for this event and it may play to his strengths leaving more for the finish with his jumping being second to none.

He was a very smart horse over hurdles finishing second three times in a row at the Cheltenham festival in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle and Champion Hurdle Twice.

Having been finding his feet as a novice, it all came together at the Cheltenham festival when finishing a narrow second in a photo-finish to Samcro in the Marsh Novices' Chase.

Having finished a good third behind stablemate Min on debut in the Grade One John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown, his run in the Savills Chase was another superb effort and now under different tactics could be a big player again.

The penultimate event of the Dublin Racing Festival on Sunday is the Leopardstown Handicap Chase over 2m5f and Crossed My Mind looks a solid each way bet.

The Arthur Moore trained nine year old looks a highly consistent animal that although landing both his events this term is on a very workable mark for this contest.

The gelding made his seasonal debut at Thurles in November and was a good winner of a 13 runner handicap chase over 2m2f.

Last time out he was stepped up in trip to 2m4f at Navan and was another emphatic winner, with this gelding looking highly progressive.

Although up another 10lb for that win his progressive nature should see him go close again here, handling the trip and the ground, off one of the lowest weights in the field.

The final runner of the weekend in Ireland comes in the Irish EBF Mares I.N.H Flat Race and in this Grade Two event we can't look past Brandy Love.

The Willie Mullins trained five year old has shown plenty of ability on her sole point to point start and also on her rules debut.

Having landed a P2P in February 2020 she was bought for £200,000 at the Cheltenham sales and given to Willie Mullins.

The master trainer gave the mare her bumper debut in December at Fairyhouse over two miles in tricky conditions and she oozed class, winning eased down by seven lengths.

She is the standout runner in the field off the back of that run and seems to be Patrick Mullins' pick for the Mullins brigade in the race.