One of the best things about the festive period in the United Kingdom is the amount of sport that is on. As well as a full round of Premier League and Championship football on Boxing Day, there is also the start of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival.
The event in Ireland is one of the biggest events of the festive season, with only the meeting taking place at Kempton on the same day considered a more lucrative avenue. The opening day of the festival looks set to be an interesting one for punters as the featured race has already announced two of the leading lights in racing will be involved.
Stars Come Out In Ireland
It isn’t just the big festivals in the New Year that attracts the big names, as Laurina and Fakir D’oudairies will both be involved in the Racing Post Novice Chase on Boxing Day. The race is sponsored by the Racing Post, which is one of the major deals in horse racing. The two leading challengers will take on a field of a further eight high-quality horses. But, there is a feeling that this day will be a battle between the two of them.
The announcement was made on Wednesday evening by Horse Racing Ireland. They revealed many of the runners for the opening two days of action from Leopardstown and Limerick. During these two days, there are four Grade One races to look forward to.
The meeting between Fakir D’oudairies for Joseph O’Brien and Willie Mullins’ Laurina will get all the attention. The latter of the two has only recently changed to this event, and this would be a big statement of intent if she can win against such a great champion. Laurina was impressive on her debut over fences as she won by eight-lengths at Gowran Park at the end of November.
Other Runners In Race
Mullins won’t have all his hopes on Laurina for this race, as he also has three other runners. The Irish trainer has won this race three times in the past four years and has used it as a place to give runs to Footpad, Douvan and Min. Along with Laurina, he also have Tornado Flyer, Cash Back and Royal Rendezvous to run in this one.
There is quality around from the names that have already been announced. Samcro for Gordon Elliott and Notebook for Henry de Bromhead cap the other challengers that are likely to give a good account of themselves. Meanwhile, Djingle for John Queally should also not be discounted.
Both Laurina and Fakir D’oudairies also have retentions for the Matchbook Betting Exchange Novice Chase, which is also a Grade One event. However, it takes place just 30 minutes later, and the race at Leopardstown is the much more likely option for both horses. That race will likely be a showdown between Battleoverdoyen, Faugheen and Champagne Classic.
Fakir D’oudairies will start off as the favourite for the Racing Post Novice Chase, with Laurina being the second favourite. There may be each-way value for Toronado Flyer and Notebook for punters on the day.
