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The Betway ambassador and Irish champion jockey previews the final day of the Leopardstown Christmas meeting, including Lossiemouth in the Grade 1 December Hurdle.
Three rides on the third and final day of Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting
I start in a very competitive Maiden Hurdle (12:12) on Dani Donadoni 5/2 . He’ll improve from the step up in trip from Cork, as he’s already won a bumper over 2m3f (Limerick, April). That race at Cork would have been plenty sharp enough for him and two-and-a-half will suit much better here. There’s a lot of depth to this race, for instance Forty Coats remains a maiden but gained valuable experience last year and ran a cracker when fourth in the Turners (Cheltenham Festival) behind The New Lion, The Yellow Clay and Final Demand. That’s a high level of form to being into this race. Also, Jalon d’Oudairies will improve for the step up in trip as well. He was third in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham in 2024 and was coming back from a long lay off when second at Cork last month and would have, no doubt, needed the run. I like my lad a lot though from that last run in Cork, he should improve from having the run and the step up in trip and hopefully we can be competitive.
I then ride Lossiemouth 8/13 in the Grade 1 December Hurdle (14:32). Obviously, it was a bloodless win in the Morgiana, at Punchestown last month. It’s going to be fascinating to see another two-mile championship hurdle being run – what with Sir Gino winning the other day. The division has thrown up a few surprises this year, but Lossie’ is going in there in great form. In opposition, we have last season’s winner Brighterdaysahead, who is sticking with hurdles now after her trainer Gordon Elliott made it clear she was supposed to go chasing. It will be interesting to see how ready she is because she’d usually have had a couple of runs by now – as was the case last year with that massive performance. She’s the obvious danger to us. You also have Anzadam who ran in the Fighting Fifth – when second behind Golden Ace. I think he’ll improve an awful lot for the experience, out of novice company. He also had a couple of easy wins at home last year without coming off the bridle as such – compared to the couple of cracks he got at Newcastle, which will have woken him up. His presence today will give us a good read through Golden Ace’s form. Obviously, you wouldn’t swap Lossie’ for anything in the race. She’s been a brilliant servant, and hopefully she can crack on and put another ‘1’ beside her name.
Finally, I ride Zillow 3/1 in the big Handicap Hurdle (15:05) – a very, very competitive race. He won nicely at Fairyhouse the last day but has got a nine-pound penalty for that. It was hard not to ride him, as he’s going for three in a row over hurdles and horses like this that are winning and on an upward curve you don’t know where the ceiling is. Hopefully he can improve a bit again, but with a valuable pot like this you’d expect there’s a couple of horses in there set up for this under the radar with light weights. Zillow impressed me the last day but it will be a big ask to win another competitive handicap hurdle.
It’s going to be a fun day’s racing, with Lossiemouth the highlight of three rides, but I just hope something can win for us and get us on the scoreboard.
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