Only introduced in 2018, Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival (DRF) is still relatively new in terms of the National Hunt calendar.
However, when it comes to Cheltenham Festival preparation, few meetings have produced as much success in recent years as the DRF.
The two-day meeting boasts eight Grade 1s, many of which are Irish equivalents to Cheltenham’s biggest contests, therefore making it a regular stepping stone to the Festival.
The numbers back this up. In the last seven years, 48 winners from Leopardstown’s showpiece event have gone on to win at Cheltenham.
When you compare that to Festival Trials Day, where just 26 of 296 runners have gone on to win at the Cheltenham Festival in the last decade, it’s even more impressive.
With such a knack for producing winners at Cheltenham, it’s worth taking a closer look at some of the horses who won at the DRF and are now likely to follow up next month.
That said, we’ve picked out five who could do the prestigious Dublin Racing Festival-Cheltenham Festival double.
Talk The Talk – Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
Dual-purpose trainer Joseph O’Brien tends to focus more on the Flat sphere these days, but he’s still partial to a top-class jumps horse in his yard, and he appears to have that in the form of Talk The Talk.
The five-year-old suffered a fall at the last hurdle when looking set to win in the Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown in December, but bounced back in the Grade 1 Ireland Novice Hurdle at the DRF.
He got up by just a shorthead in a tight photo finish, but O’Brien revealed after the race that riding him cold, even if it meant losing, was part of the pre-race plan he gave to ride JJ Slevin, as the horse is still in the infancy of his career.
That makes it all the more impressive that Talk The Talk had the ability to rally and get his head in front at the line, and while Old Park Star will be very hard to beat in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, O’Brien has a great chance with the current second favourite in the ante-post market.
Majborough – Champion Chase
Several horses impressed at the Dublin Racing Festival, and Majborough was certainly up there with the top performers after romping home in the Dublin Chase.
Many have questioned the Willie Mullins-trained horse’s jumping ability, especially as it proved costly in last year’s Arkle and in both outings already this season, but he put in an almost-perfect round to win this race by 19 lengths from Marine Nationale.
The form of the contest is perhaps not as solid as it looks on paper, though, as Soulness was pulled up having never really travelled, while Marine Nationale didn’t seem to handle the softer ground, and Majborough does need to jump with as much fluency at Cheltenham.
From what we’ve seen so far this season, the six-year-old deserves to be at the fore of the ante-post market for the Champion Chase, but he’s by no means one of the strongest favourites going into the Cheltenham Festival.
Brighterdaysahead – Champion Hurdle
Brighterdaysahead was disappointing in last year’s Champion Hurdle, setting off as the second favourite behind Constitution Hill, but running no race at all in a dramatic renewal of the championship contest.
Gordon Elliott’s classy mare was beaten by Lossiemouth in the December Hurdle at Leopardstown but reversed the form in impressive fashion in the Irish Champion Hurdle, beating Mullins’ mare by over three lengths.
Brighterdaysahead has a little bit to prove at Cheltenham, as she was also beaten when well fancied in the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle in 2024, but she perhaps had excuses last year, with something clearly amiss, as she didn’t pick up.
The New Lion remains the ante-post favourite for the Champion Hurdle, but the Dan Skelton-trained seven-year-old also has questions to answer after his performances this season haven’t exactly been anything special, so Brighterdaysahead has every chance if showing up at her brilliant best.
Doctor Steinberg – Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
Pundits and punters alike were quick to note that Mullins was lacking a serious challenger in any of the Cheltenham Festival novice hurdles, but that all changed at the Dublin Racing Festival, as Doctor Steinberg laid down a marker for the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.
The six-year-old raced keenly under Paul Townend for the most part of the two-mile, six-furlong Grade 1, which had the potential to burn too much of his energy over a testing trip.
However, he had plenty left in the tank, stretching clear before the last and keeping on for an eight-length win.
Doctor Steinberg is now 3/1 for the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, and he looks set to appreciate the step up to three miles, so could prove good value.
Narciso Has – Triumph Hurdle
Mullins has won five of the last six renewals of the Triumph Hurdle, including each of the last four editions, and he has a great chance to make it five on the bounce after Narciso Has impressed in the Grade 1 Juvenile Hurdle.
Set off as the even-money favourite for the two-mile contest, the JP McManus-owned horse made all the running and went clear on the run-in, keeping on for a four-and-a-half-length win over stablemate Selma De Vary.
It was his second win in a row at the course, as he won the Grade 2 Juvenile Hurdle by 11 lengths on Boxing Day.
Narciso Has is now as short as 5/4 for the Triumph Hurdle. He has the strongest form on paper and should take all the beating.
Fact To File – Ryanair Chase/Gold Cup
Fact To File has gone from what many had been calling a regressive horse form-wise to favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup after winning the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival.
The nine-year-old has been disappointing in his last few outings, in fairness, including finishing sixth of eight runners in the King George VI Chase.
However, he bounced back emphatically with a five-length win over stablemate Gaelic Warrior, while four-time Irish Gold Cup seeker Galopin Des Champs was over 13 lengths back in third.
Connections now face a decision. Do they keep him in the Ryanair Chase and let him try to defend his title in that contest, or do they supplement him for the Gold Cup?
The latter proved to be a good decision for fellow McManus-owned horse Inothewayurthinkin last year, as he was put in the race for £25,000 last year but repaid the faith by winning the Gold Cup, so it would be no surprise to see connections cough up the cost again.
