The Dublin Racing Festival of 2026 at Leopardstown begins on Saturday, 31 January with the Irish Gold Cup card and four Grade 1 events. Among the supporting events to the feature contest are the Irish Arkle and Spring Juvenile Hurdle. There is also a staying novice hurdle, a couple of valuable handicaps and a Grade 2 bumper to close it out.
With groundstaff pumping rainwater off the course in midweek, the Southside of Dublin venue has made a real effort to get their big jumps meeting on. Chances are that Storm Chandra will have left its mark on Leopardstown as a result. Rain-softened ground is an issue and will suit some types more than others as horses warm-up for the Cheltenham Festival in March.
Since its inception in 2018, the Dublin Racing Festival has proven a real hit both on and off the track. Combining separate cards for the Irish Gold Cup (that interests us here) and the Irish Champion Hurdle into one stellar weekend made a lot of sense. That’s where our experts come in. We didn’t exactly have to drag them to their desks for a dip into the form book here.
Their research into past performances with particular reference to mudlarks, combined with the prices offered by horse racing betting sites in the name of seeking value, is an approach warranted never to fail. This is a major fixture in any fan of the sport’s calendar now. Check out the Saturday selections for the first six Leopardstown races and why our experts fancy said runners below…
Dublin Racing Festival 2026 Day 1 Preview for Saturday, 31 January
1:15 – 2m 6f 53y Grade 1 Novice Hurdle
A double for Danny & Willie @NavanRacecourse – G2 honours for Doctor Steinberg 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/tXJ53UxMqZ
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) December 6, 2025
Love Me Tender is the other Mullins mount, but all his wins have come on a sound surface. Gordon Elliott runs four, meanwhile, with Limerick Grade 2 scorer Kazansky the pick of stable jockey Jack Kennedy. He just held on last time, but this is about a furlong shorter. The Robcour runner Santo Sospir also acts in the mud too, and his Clonmel success can be marked up a bit as he jumped left throughout.
That won’t be an issue at Leopardstown. Declan Queally’s Cork specialist Tackletommywoowoo deserves a mention too. Conditions are very different here to his wins around the Mallow track, but he definitely gets three miles on good ground. The other Elliott runners have some questions over them with Jalon d’Oudairies still a maiden and Riskaway pulled out on heavy before.
1:50 – 2m Grade 1 Juvenile Hurdle
Still unbeaten!
Mange Tout lands Grade 3 honours at the expense of the highly-regarded Narciso Has in the @Bar1Betting Juvenile Hurdle for @gelliott_racing @Fairyhouse pic.twitter.com/IGeNrp28rs
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) November 30, 2025
Of the others, Mullins also saddles Selma De Vary on her Irish debut. She looks something of a dark horse, as well as the yard’s second string to Narciso Has. Bertutea is the pick of the Gigginstown pair in the line-up, meanwhile, after a heavy ground victory at Limerick over Christmas. This naturally requires a step up from home, while Barbizon has plenty to find with Narciso Has.
Gavin Cromwell has North Shore in the line-up and he ran third in the graded juvenile hurdle here on Boxing Day and his bow in this sphere. Both he and the third Elliott runner, Immediate Effect, look open to plenty of further progress, but it’s asking a lot of them against the Class 1 winners in the line-up here.
2:25 – 3m 19y Listed Handicap Hurdle (0-150)
Kazansky digs deep to land the Grade 2 Defender Novice Hurdle for the Gordon Elliott team. pic.twitter.com/S8l7ruTleR
— Limerick Races (@LimerickRaces) December 26, 2025
County Final has only gone up 2lb for his agonising defeat at Limerick over Christmas. Son Of Anarchy has the same hike for when nearest at the finish and third at Navan last time out. He’s also one of seven for Cullentra House handler Elliott in the line-up. Others from the stable to consider here are Gigginstown pair He Can’t Dance in first-time cheekpieces and course winner Wendrock.
The bottom seven run from out of the handicap including Emmet Mullins duo Barra Rua and Dippedinmoonlight. Uncle Willie has three with failed chaser Road To Home the shortest price of that trio. Champagne Kid and Duke Silver are both last time out course winners with claimers aboard. Those victories over Christmas bring those in-behind into calculations as well, however.
For Champagne Kid, re-opposing third Saint Le Fort has four lengths to find but over another half-mile. Chasing Joseph O’Brien runner Duke Silver home in a Pertemps Qualifier, meanwhile, were Small Town Hero (third) and Savante (seventh). Longer absences than anything else in the field count against the returning D Art D Art and Grann’s Boy, while topweight Staffordshire Knot faces the opposite problem of quickly turning out after nine days.
2:55 – 2m 1f Grade 1 Irish Arkle Novice Chase
JUST!
Romeo Coolio gets the job done in the Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Chase – but he made his backers sweat!@gelliott_racing pic.twitter.com/jJbW7Uw4jW
— Horse Racing Ireland (@HRIRacing) December 26, 2025
A poor effort from Irish trainers with just the three going. With Romeo Coolio odds-on, but staying down this route when he looked far from convincing over course and distance at Christmas, KARGESE appeals more in receipt of 7lb. Each of the last five editions of this Grade 1 for novice chasers has gone to the mighty Mullins. Kargese can deputise for Kopek Des Bordes at the Dublin Racing Festival of 2026.
You have to stay to win a County Hurdle like she did in the spring, while heavy ground holds no fears for her. Kargese comes out 1lb clear of Romeo Coolio if adjusting their hurdling marks for weight carried over fences here. Henry De Bromhead will feel a little hard done by from the handicapper, who hiked Downmexicoway up 11lb for a three-length Gowran win on the going last time, but he’s booked for third.
3:30 – 3m 100y Grade 1 Irish Gold Cup
Noel Meade’s charge is a couple of years younger than Galopin Des Champs. It’s true that Affordale Fury came into Christmas fully race-fit and many of the big guns didn’t. It might not have been a fluke, though, as stamina is his forte. Affordale Fury goes on all types of ground, so won’t mind further rain or if it dries out. That may not suit Galopin Des Champs so much.
Mullins declared eight for this and, while Gaelic Warrior and Fact To File renew their rivalry, the one who caught the eye over course and distance in the Savills was I Am Maximus. He split Affordale Fury and Galopin Des Champs when runner-up. He may hit the frame again, alongside Spindleberry – an unbeaten mare over fences. Leopardstown probably isn’t the right track for Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Inothewayurthinkin.
4:05 – 2m 1f Listed Handicap Chase (0-150)
This is tricky, because the official going description for the Dublin Racing Festival of 2026 is better ground on the chase course than the hurdles track. Punters can make their own minds up whether, after the effects of Storm Chandra, there’s a yielding surface in places over fences. If that’s accurate, then Western Diego should go well despite an 8lb rise for winning the Dan & Joan Moore at Fairyhouse. He will need to confirm form with stable companion More Coko, though.
An Peann Dearg is only 6lb higher than when successful over course and distance 12 months ago for Paul Nolan. He was no match for Cromwell’s Addragoole here at Christmas, however. That one has half of a 10lb hike netted off by the booking of Thyestes winning conditional Eoin Staples. If conditions really are better than they look, then JASKO DES DAMES has race like this in him.
De Bromhead’s runner is better off at the weights with Battle Of Ridgeway from Listowel despite Martin Hassett booking a 5lb claimer. As Cheltenham conqueror Calico came out and landed the Hurst Park at Ascot, and some of those in-behind Jasko Des Dames have also gone in since, he could capitalise on a 2lb lower mark than from October.
Like Mullins and De Bromhead, who frames the handicap with topweight Inthepocket, Elliott runs two here. While handicapping debutant Jacob’s Ladder shaped like he wanted further last time (and not for the first time), Golden Joy has won over course and distance before. Both of the Cullentra House horses have heavy ground successes on their CVs, so more rain won’t faze either.
