The Mandarin’s St Stephen’s Day Selections for 26th December 2024

The Mandarin’s Selections from Leopardstown, Limerick, Kempton Park & Aintree

Leopardstown

O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 2) 1.10
Willy De Houelle
Entitled to come on for his return to action earlier this month at Fairyhouse, Willy De Houelle can take this Juvenile Hurdle. Although tiring late on the last day in that Grade 3 contest, and conceding victory to the re-opposing Naturally Nimble, Willy De Houelle can turn the tables on Joseph O’Brien’s Too Darn Hot gelding to score here. Willy De Houelle’s stablemate Murcia might give the selection the most to think about, with French import Sony Bill the each-way angle.

Racing Post Long Distance Novice Chase (Grade 1) 2.20
Croke Park
It’s the Gordon Elliott St Stephen’s Day special, as he fields three of the four for this Grade One assignment. There’s been money down this week for Better Days Ahead, but the ready preference is for Croke Park, who won the Grade 1 Drinmore Chase at Fairyhouse when an unfancied 22/1 shot under Sam Ewing, who gets the leg-up again. With Jack Kennedy sadly still out injured, this looks the stable first first string on jockey booking, so with ground in his favour, Croke Park is the one to be on.

Limerick

Lyons Of Limerick Jaguar Land Rover Novice Hurdle (Grade 2) 1.33
Fleur In The Park
It’s hard to ignore the appeal of Fleur In The Park for this Grade 2 Novice Hurdle, judged on his last run at Navan. Although leading until the last, Fleur In The Park couldn’t hold off the challenge from odds-on favourite The Yellow Clay, but as we rate that rival as one out of the top-drawer in the Novice Hurdling division this season, that neck loss puts Fleur In The Park into the mix here. Gordon Elliott’s Minella Sixo rates the main danger , along with Henry de Bromhead’s The Big Westerner, but Fleur In The Park floats our boat for this Grade 2.

Kempton Park

Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) 1.20
Hyland
The way Hyland dominated his last race at Cheltenham’s Autumn Festival gave notice of his arrival in the Novice Chasing division. He beat a couple of useful rivals in that Listed contest, with a competent round of fencing, and there’s likely more to come returned to a flatter track here at Kempton Park. Plenty of money has been going on The Jukebox Man, who scored on his chasing bow at Newbury with another impressive round over the fences, but racing experience at the top table might just see Hyland get the better of the jolly for the in-form Seven Barrows yard. Both White Rhino and Masaccio boast claims, but this looks a straight showdown between Hyland and The Jukebox Man, with Hyland the one to follow.

Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle (Grade 1) 1.55
Lossiemouth (nap)
An absolute cracker for the Christmas Hurdle, where the brilliant, unbeaten hurdler Constitution Hill takes on Irish raider Lossiemouth. It’s been a bumpy road for Nicky Henderson’s Constitution Hill since knocking all of his rivals out of the park, in the Supreme Novices’ and the Champion Hurdle, at successive Cheltenham Festivals in 2022 & 2023, but since then there’s been issues with a general malaise at the Seven Barrows yard this spring, a worrying episode of Colic and another racecourse gallop at Newbury that saw him returned home lame. By contrast, Willie Mullins’s mare, Lossiemouth, has an almost unblemished record, winning nine of her ten starts over timber, with excuses for that sole defeat, when hampered and unable to get a decent run in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown last year. In receipt of 7lbs from Constitution Hill, and with race-fitness on her side, Lossiemouth has to be the day’s banker at a price to match.

Ladbrokes King George VI Chase (Grade 10 2.30
Banbridge (nb)
In one of the most competitive renewals for many a year, this one’s going back to Ireland with Banbridge. Perhaps seeming to come a bit under the radar from Joseph O’Brien’s yard, this Doyen gelding is still unexposed at this trip, has track and conditions to suit, and his win in a Grade 2 Chase around here in January showed a liking for this course. It’s just over three weeks since unseating at the last, when chasing the smart Energumene in the Hilly Way Chase at Cork, but this extra distance can only bring out more improvement. There’s a big bag of dangers in this field, with the winner of the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase, Il Est Francais lining up, after finishing a full 5 seconds ahead of Hewick’s winning time in this race over course and distance last year, Spillane’s Tower, who has been supplemented after a fine second to Fact To File in the John Durkan at Punchestown five weeks ago, and home hope, Dan Skelton’s Grey Dawning, who was one of the outstanding novice chasers last season. With the ground likely to be too quick for Corbetts Cross and possibly Grey Dawning, and questions over Il Est Francais after some bleeding issues, Banbridge is taken to serve it up to Spillane’s Tower and land the feature.

Aintree

William Hill Formby Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 1.05
Roadlesstravelled
Roadlesstravelled can take on Potters Charm for this Grade One prize, with the drop back to a sharp 17 furlongs asking a question of Nigel Twiston-Davies’s latest hurdling star. Having been campaigned at around two and a half miles in his three starts since September, there is obvious quality at that trip for Potters Charm, but Roadlesstravelled looked one out of the top drawer when seeing off Dan Skelton’s Country Mile, at Haydock Park last month over two miles, form which has since been franked. Sam Thomas’s Celtic Dino is progressive, and on a hat-trick, so completes the shortlist, but Roadlesstravelled gets the vote for the feature.

The Mandarin