Cheltenham Festival Market Movers | Who shone brightest at the Dublin Racing Festival?
03 Feb 2025
The eighth Dublin Racing Festival began in typical style, with trainer Willie Mullins winning the opening Grade One contest of the weekend.
Final Demand was the horse, and his 12 lengths victory in the 2m 6f novice hurdle saw his odds for both the Turners Novices’ Hurdle and the longer Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle cut to 3/1. That makes him clear favourite for the latter contest, while he joins The New Lion at the head of the Turners’ betting, but no doubt Mullins will leave a decision on which Festival race he runs in until the last minute.
Hopes the Closutton maestro would once again land all the Grade One races at this meeting were dashed as early as the second race. His Sainte Lucie was sent off favourite for the Juvenile Hurdle, but she was a major disappointment, and instead it was the Gavin Cromwell-trained Hello Neighbour who landed the spoils. He’s 5/1, from 6/1, for the JCB Triumph Hurdle, but Lulamba and East India Dock sit ahead of him in the betting, and that pair will take plenty of beating next month.
Normal service was resumed in the Goffs Irish Arkle, as Mullins and Mark Walsh teamed up for a nine lengths victory with Majborough. Last year’s Triumph Hurdle winner has always looked like a chaser of great potential, and he will head to the Arkle next month as 2/1 second favourite for what could be one of the races of the week at Prestbury Park, as he will face the brilliant Sir Gino, currently 4/6 market leader for the Festival race.
The best was most definitely saved until last as far as Saturday’s big races were concerned. Galopin Des Champs had already won two Irish Gold Cups as well as the last two runnings of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and he completed a hat-trick of victories in the Irish version with a brave and classy frontrunning performance. This true champion is now rightly the 1/2 favourite to join the exclusive club of three-time Gold Cup winners next month, and I can only see those odds getting shorter.
Day two at Leopardstown promised more Willie Mullins domination of the feature races, and Ballyburn didn’t let his backers down when he landed the Ladbrokes Novice Chase at odds of 8/13. He needed all of the 2m 5f trip to see off Croke Park, and that bodes well for his chances in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Festival, as that’s presumably where he will head, rather than lock horns with Sir Gino again in the Arkle, and he's 2/1 favourite for the three miles contest.
With six of the ten runners in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle representing him, it was always going to be short odds about another Willie Mullins success, but in the event, only one horse ever mattered. Kopek Des Bordes was sent off the 4/5 favourite, and those odds looked generous as he sauntered home under Paul Townend. The 5-year-old had been available at 12/1 for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle prior to the race, but this victory saw his price for the Festival curtain-raiser slashed initially to 7/4 favourite, and then again to 6/4, and it’s hard to argue with that reaction after such an impressive victory.
There were those who thought Solness had stolen the race he won at Leopardstown at Christmas with a bold frontrunning ride, but the Joseph O’Brien-trained 7-year-old proved that win was no fluke when landing the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase in similar fashion. His odds for the Queen Mother Champion Chase have tumbled to 10/1 from 25/1, but with the likes of Gaelic Warrior, El Fabiolo and Marine Nationale beaten here, it’s Jonbon who has shortened at the head of the market, and he’s become another odds-on favourite for Nicky Henderson.
The eighth and final Grade One of the 2025 Dublin Racing Festival was the Irish Champion Hurdle. Lossiemouth was sent off the odds-on favourite despite Paul Townend opting to ride stablemate State Man rather than the mare, and while the jockey ultimately made the right decision, his mount came home unchallenged only after Lossiemouth had fallen some way before the business end of the race. As a result, we learned very little with regard to the Champion Hurdle, and the market echoed that, with State Man unchanged at 6/1, and Constitution Hill a red-hot 1/2 favourite to regain his Cheltenham crown.
Market Movers from the weekend with Coral
Final Demand for the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle – 3/1 (from 7/1)
Hello Neighbour for the Triumph Hurdle – 5/1 (from 6/1)
Majborough for the Arkle Novices' Chase – 2/1 (from 3/1)
Galopin Des Champs for the Gold Cup – 1/2 (from 4/7)
Ballyburn for the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase – 2/1 (from 7/2)
Kopek Des Bordes for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle – 6/4 (from 12/1)
Solness for the Champion Chase – 10/1 (from 25/1)
LATEST CHELTENHAM ANTE POST BETTING
Final Demand was the horse, and his 12 lengths victory in the 2m 6f novice hurdle saw his odds for both the Turners Novices’ Hurdle and the longer Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle cut to 3/1. That makes him clear favourite for the latter contest, while he joins The New Lion at the head of the Turners’ betting, but no doubt Mullins will leave a decision on which Festival race he runs in until the last minute.
Hopes the Closutton maestro would once again land all the Grade One races at this meeting were dashed as early as the second race. His Sainte Lucie was sent off favourite for the Juvenile Hurdle, but she was a major disappointment, and instead it was the Gavin Cromwell-trained Hello Neighbour who landed the spoils. He’s 5/1, from 6/1, for the JCB Triumph Hurdle, but Lulamba and East India Dock sit ahead of him in the betting, and that pair will take plenty of beating next month.
Normal service was resumed in the Goffs Irish Arkle, as Mullins and Mark Walsh teamed up for a nine lengths victory with Majborough. Last year’s Triumph Hurdle winner has always looked like a chaser of great potential, and he will head to the Arkle next month as 2/1 second favourite for what could be one of the races of the week at Prestbury Park, as he will face the brilliant Sir Gino, currently 4/6 market leader for the Festival race.
The best was most definitely saved until last as far as Saturday’s big races were concerned. Galopin Des Champs had already won two Irish Gold Cups as well as the last two runnings of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and he completed a hat-trick of victories in the Irish version with a brave and classy frontrunning performance. This true champion is now rightly the 1/2 favourite to join the exclusive club of three-time Gold Cup winners next month, and I can only see those odds getting shorter.
Day two at Leopardstown promised more Willie Mullins domination of the feature races, and Ballyburn didn’t let his backers down when he landed the Ladbrokes Novice Chase at odds of 8/13. He needed all of the 2m 5f trip to see off Croke Park, and that bodes well for his chances in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Festival, as that’s presumably where he will head, rather than lock horns with Sir Gino again in the Arkle, and he's 2/1 favourite for the three miles contest.
With six of the ten runners in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle representing him, it was always going to be short odds about another Willie Mullins success, but in the event, only one horse ever mattered. Kopek Des Bordes was sent off the 4/5 favourite, and those odds looked generous as he sauntered home under Paul Townend. The 5-year-old had been available at 12/1 for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle prior to the race, but this victory saw his price for the Festival curtain-raiser slashed initially to 7/4 favourite, and then again to 6/4, and it’s hard to argue with that reaction after such an impressive victory.
There were those who thought Solness had stolen the race he won at Leopardstown at Christmas with a bold frontrunning ride, but the Joseph O’Brien-trained 7-year-old proved that win was no fluke when landing the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase in similar fashion. His odds for the Queen Mother Champion Chase have tumbled to 10/1 from 25/1, but with the likes of Gaelic Warrior, El Fabiolo and Marine Nationale beaten here, it’s Jonbon who has shortened at the head of the market, and he’s become another odds-on favourite for Nicky Henderson.
The eighth and final Grade One of the 2025 Dublin Racing Festival was the Irish Champion Hurdle. Lossiemouth was sent off the odds-on favourite despite Paul Townend opting to ride stablemate State Man rather than the mare, and while the jockey ultimately made the right decision, his mount came home unchallenged only after Lossiemouth had fallen some way before the business end of the race. As a result, we learned very little with regard to the Champion Hurdle, and the market echoed that, with State Man unchanged at 6/1, and Constitution Hill a red-hot 1/2 favourite to regain his Cheltenham crown.
Market Movers from the weekend with Coral
Final Demand for the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle – 3/1 (from 7/1)
Hello Neighbour for the Triumph Hurdle – 5/1 (from 6/1)
Majborough for the Arkle Novices' Chase – 2/1 (from 3/1)
Galopin Des Champs for the Gold Cup – 1/2 (from 4/7)
Ballyburn for the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase – 2/1 (from 7/2)
Kopek Des Bordes for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle – 6/4 (from 12/1)
Solness for the Champion Chase – 10/1 (from 25/1)
LATEST CHELTENHAM ANTE POST BETTING
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