Lexus Chase and Christmas Hurdle

By far the best racing today comes from Ireland where Leopardstown stages two Grade One races which should have a big bearing on the Championship races at the Cheltenham Festival (only 12 weeks away!)

The Lexus Chase at 15.55 CET follows the King George VI two days ago as the main trial for the Gold Cup and the field includes two winners of that race- last season´s hero Lord Windermere (Jim Culloty/ Davy Russell) and 2013 winner Bobs Worth (Nicky Henderson/ Barry Geraghty), who also won last year´s Lexus from First Lieutenant (Mouse Morris/ Brian O´Connell), with Lord Windermere only 7th. However the latter has clearly improved since then, and although he was a lucky winner at Cheltenham, we were very taken with the way he ran on his seasonal debut and make him our selection now. He was behind Boston Bob (Willie Mullins/ Ruby Walsh), but over this longer trip we expect him to reverse that form. Bobs Worth has not run since Cheltenham, which must be a big disadvantage, although he is still the top-rated runner here. On His Own (Mullins/ Paul Townend) was the unlucky horse in the Gold Cup, but his runs since have not been that great and Walsh prefers Boston Bob. British raiders have a good record here and Paul Nicholls, who has won this race 3 times, sends over Sam Winner (Sam T-D), winner of both his races this season, but against lesser opposition. Home Farm (Henry de Bromhead/ David Casey) also needs to improve after an easy win last time, but his stable had a big double yesterday and he is our best outsider, but we hope that Lord Windermere shows today that he is a true champion.

There is also a very competitive field for the Christmas Hurdle, also over 3 miles, at 14.50 and we shall certainly see several of these runners in action in Cheltenham´s World Hurdle, in which At Fishers Cross (Rebecca Curtis/ Tony McCoy) finished a good third last March, the best form on offer here. Zaidpour (Mullins/ Walsh) won this race last year and was runner-up the previous year to Monksland (Noel Meade/ Paul Carberry), this this edition looks much stronger, and the latter has not run since that victory, while Zaidpour fell last time in the Hatton Grace won by Lieutenant Colonel (Sandra Hughes/ Bryan Cooper), with Jetson (Jessica Harrington/ Russell) second, who had earlier won the equivalent race at the Punchestown Festival. Almlost any of these could win today and we give slight preference to Lieutenant Colonel; it would certainly be a very popular victory if he wins after the recent death of Dessie Hughes, whose daughter now trains him.