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Leopardstown stages a quality seven-race card on Saturday and we’ve got three selections on the card from the Dublin track for consideration.
Leopardstown stages a quality seven-race card on Saturday, a pair of Group 3s for two-year-olds the highlight, including the Eyefield Stakes over 1m1f and the Killavullan Stakes over 7f, the latter a race that’s been dominated by Aidan O’Brien in recent seasons.
There’s some competitive supporting races on the card, four of them informative maidens. Our expert has provided his best three bets for the meeting.
Saturday’s Leopardstown Tips
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15:15 Leopardstown – Thread Of Glory @ 5/2
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15:50 Leopardstown – Minerva @ 4/6
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17:20 Leopardstown – River Ara @ 15/8
15:15 Leopardstown – Thread Of Glory @ 5/2
Top jumps trainer Willie Mullins does well with limited ammunition on the Flat and looks to have a potentially smart juvenile one on his hands courtesy of Thread Of Glory, who travelled strongly and won with plenty to spare on his debut in August.
The son of Ghaiyyath has already been gelded, suggesting he’s given a few issues at home, but he did nothing wrong on his introduction over 7f at the Curragh, quickening up stylishly to score by a widening two lengths under today’s pilot, Ronan Whelan.
He’s related to a pair of 1m4f AW winners, so this step up to 1m1f must surely be in his favour and, whilst this Group 3 represents a marked step up in grade for him, he doesn’t have a great deal to find with these rivals judged on his opening Racing Post Rating of 92.
15:50 Leopardstown – Minerva @ 4/6
Aidan O’Brien’s Minerva is yet to win in six starts, but she sets a good standard and won’t get many better opportunities this 7f maiden.
The daughter of Frankel has twice been beaten at odds-on, including when running green on her debut at this track in June, but she’s got a couple of really strong bits of form to her name, namely when chasing home her stablemate Diamond Necklace at the Curragh, that filly subsequently winning in Listed and Group 1 company and heading most ante-post lists for next season’s 1,000 Guineas and Oaks.
Minerva ran well below that level on her next start, but reacted positively to the application of first-time cheekpieces when finishing third in a Group 3 last month.
17:20 Leopardstown – River Ara @ 15/8
Another Aidan O’Brien-trained filly, River Ara, looks to hold strong claims in the concluding nursery, the daughter of St Mark’s Basilica starting out of a more than workable mark of 85.
The two-year-old looked badly in need of the experience when never involved on her debut here in June, but she’s run very creditably in two runs at Cork since, including when upped to this trip of a mile last time.
Her sire was relatively slow to come to hand himself and that’s a trend that’s been passed onto his offspring, so there’s reason to believe she’s got a fair bit more improvement to come, particularly over middle distances next term.
However, she’s already shown enough to make her of major interest off this rating and the potential for softening ground should aid her cause.
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