Dublin Racing Festival: Johnny Ward's top tips for day one
By Johnny Ward
Last Updated: Tue 5 Dec 2023
It was fun to see Robbie Power call Dukey out on some of his nonsense on the On The Wire video podcast this week…or will the great man be proven correct?
"He's GONE at the game!" - a lively edition of On The Wire, our Irish racing podcast, with Dukey and Robbie Power clashing over Minella Indo
What Minella Indo does on Saturday will tell us plenty about his future, but I still can't say I am convinced by the form of the Henry de Bromhead yard.
The County Waterford handler was operating at an admittedly misleading 23 per cent strike-rate in Ireland in November; it's been less than 8 per cent since.
Seven of his battalion also travelled across the Irish Sea in December, with two of them third and the rest nowhere, including Minella Indo's stinker in the King George.
In any event, last year’s Gold Cup winner has it to prove. It rained a bit on Thursday night in Dublin, which was welcomed by Leopardstown.
Day one of the Dublin Racing Festival is a tricky punting card, with one horse standing out at odds-against. Enjoy an incredible two days of racing action, and don’t forget to watch every race live on Racing TV!
Johnny Ward
Finished: 2ndSP: 6/5
He's quite anomalous in that he's more of a National Hunt horse in this division. Davy Russell says he's not like the ex-Flat horse Pied Piper, and the comparison between the pair will be key to solving this, given Pied Piper edged out Vauban at Punchestown on his hurdling debut.
Odds of 6-4 are very appealing on Fil Dor, who looked like he was out for a stroll in the parade ring last time out.
He has a really nonchalant demeanour in his races, and gives the impression there's a good bit more there plus he was miles better on his third start, than his second.
I find it very hard to see anything being good enough to beat him here. He is all power once you go after him and has that tendency to save energy.
I'm far from sure about Vauban, who seemingly needs a tongue tie, and I could see Icare Allen chasing home the selection.
Johnny Ward
Finished: 1stSP: 18/1
Sky Bet offering 40-1 on Conflated here appeals, as 8-1 about this horse finishing in the first four is far too big.
Asterion Forlonge has fallen the last twice and that was when going right-handed, which he needs; Cilaos Emery ran a shocker last time and probably won't stay; Delta Work seems to have fallen out of love with the game; Janidil doesn't get the trip, and Minella Indo is hard to rely on.
As such, Conflated is worth chancing at a huge price. He's unexposed at this trip and comes here on a high after bolting up at Navan. He rarely runs a bad race over fences and can at least make the frame.
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