Leopardstown Horse Racing Tips: Best Bets For Dublin Racing Festival Day 1

See here our best bets for Day 1 of Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival headlined by the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup.

The ground is now soft to heavy on the hurdles track and yielding to soft on the chase track with between 35-40mm of rain expected to arrive prior to racing.

Leopardstown Horse Racing Tips

• 1:50 – Barbizon @ 25/1 E/W
• 2:25 – County Final @ 11/2 E/W
• 3:30 – I Am Maximus @ 14/1 E/W
• 4:40 – It’s Only A Game @ 13/8

1:50 – Spring Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 1) – BARBIZON @ 25/1 E/W

The Spring Juvenile Hurdle is a fascinating affair and while Narciso Has deserves his place at the top of the market, priced about right, there could be value in Gordon Elliott’s BARBIZON each-way.

He was sent off 2/1 to beat that rival at this venue last month but for whatever reason didn’t give his true running and based on his first outing over hurdles he’s worth another chance.

He handles heavy ground having won easily at Navan in November and this son of King Of Change was a smart flat performer for John Murphy, rated 101 on the level.

The excellent Danny Gilligan takes the ride and Barbizon is surely a lot better than he showed at Christmas. Perhaps the ground was too quick for him and he could be a bigger force in slower conditions again.

Gary O’Brien suggested the four-year-old had his wind tinkered with after the disappointment and that could make all the difference.

2:25 – Race And Stay At Leopardstown Handicap Hurdle (Listed) – COUNTY FINAL @ 11/2 E/W

JP McManus landed this race in 2025 and 2023 with Perceval Legallois and I’m backing that trend to continue with Eric McNamara’s COUNTY FINAL.

The six-year-old looks to have been laid out for this race and it’s hard to imagine he isn’t a good bit better than his rating of 128.

He was a narrow runner-up to Elliott’s Kazansky in the Grade 2 Defender Novice Hurdle at Limerick on St. Stephen’s Day who is the choice of Jack Kennedy in the opening race of this card, the Grade 1 Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle.

The son of Court Cave has a lovely racing weight of 10st 7lbs and with Mark Walsh to do the steering he has to go close.

3:30 – Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup (Grade 1) – I AM MAXIMUS @ 14/1 E/W

Sticking with the green and gold theme, I AM MAXIMUS looked back to his brilliant best when finishing runner-up to Affordale Fury in the Savills Chase at Christmas and there’s no reason why he can’t put in a similar performance today.

He did well to finish as close as he did after being hampered at the last fence under a cracking ride from Derek O’Connor and it was his first big showing in Grade 1 company since winning the Drinmore Novice Chase in 2023.

The former Grand National winner will stay all day on the testing ground and on his previous effort there appears to be plenty of life left in this ten-year-old.

Kennedy on board is another positive and I Am Maximus may have every chance of upsetting the market leaders. He should be out there to be competitive again.

4:40 – Future Stars I.N.H. Flat Race (Grade 2) – IT’S ONLY A GAME @ 13/8

John Gleeson knows a thing or two about what it takes to win the Future Stars bumper having tasted success on his homebred A Dream To Share in 2023 and this is set to be his first ride back from injury.

IT’S ONLY A GAME was very visually impressive on his first start of the season at Punchestown on soft to heavy ground in November, the form of which has been franked in abundance with runner-up Boycetown winning by a street at Down Royal over Christmas.

Both the third and fourth have ran well since too and it’s no surprise to see Martin Brassil’s five-year-old being touted as a big player in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham.

If he wins today he could well be favourite for that contest and this €160,000 buy as a three-year-old has all the tools to succeed.