Rest of Monday card

WHAT a difference a year makes. At the 2025 Dublin Racing Festival, Gordon Elliott sent out 25 runners without having a winner. Fast forward to last weekend, and the bang-in-form title leader wrapped up five winners (including two Grade 1s), five seconds (including three Grade 1s) and four thirds.

The meeting was concluded in some style when Elliott saddled a 1-2 in the €100,000 Barberstown Castle Handicap Chase (scooping €80,000 of the prize money on offer) and a 1-2-3 in the Grade 2 Paddy Power Cheltenham Countdown Podcast Bumper (hoovering up €92,000 of the €100,000 pot). It helped partially offset the €232,500 (of €250,000 total fund) won by Willie Mullins in the Irish Gold Cup 35 minutes earlier.

The bumper was not won by the stable’s most fancied runner in the betting by any means, as 18/1 shot Broadway Ted prevailed by a short-head from With Nolimit (28/1) in a ding-dong battle, followed home by 7/4 favourite Charismatic Kid.

Barry O’Neill, winning the first Grade 2 bumper of his career, got the verdict over Declan Lavery and the stewards held in an inquiry into possible interference between the pair before ultimately taking no action.

The winner, owned by David L’Estrange, is available to back at 20/1 for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper after making it two wins from two starts here, following up a likeable Ayr bumper win from early December.

“To get five winners at the DRF is unbelievable,” said Elliott.

“Broadway Ted was very good at Ayr, and maybe he’d have gotten more notice if he hadn’t won his bumper there. He’s a pacey horse, works very well and it was a good performance. All the horses I ran here are nice horses; big, staying horses.”

Ladder on the up

Jacob’s Ladder was strong in the betting for the Barberstown Castle Handicap Chase (backed into 2/1 favourite from a morning price of 4/1) and took advantage of a lightly-raced profile in the listed event under Jack Kennedy.

Gigginstown House Stud’s novice had hinted at the potential of being well handicapped off 143 after beating Karoline Banbou in a beginners’ chase and finishing second to Kappa Jy Pyke in a Punchestown Grade 3 the previous twice.

He posted a five-length success to earn an 8lb rise to 151. Stablemate Golden Joy (20/1) took a step back in the right direction when runner-up in a first-time visor.

Elliott said: “I thought his last run at Punchestown was good. I was a bit worried about the ground being so soft, but it was a good performance. He looked comfortable the whole way and Jack got him in a lovely rhythm. I’d imagine he’ll go straight now for a handicap at Cheltenham.

“A bit of headgear might have helped Golden Joy, and we rode him a bit colder today. He hit the line strong.”

Fort fights back

A step up in trip worked the oracle for Philip Fenton’s Saint Le Fort in the €100,000 Race And Stay At Leopardstown Handicap Hurdle - providing the trainer with his biggest winner since returning to the training ranks in 2018.

After initially taking the lead on the home turn, it was all change late on in a stamina-sapping three-mile event, as Colm Murphy’s Savante wrestled over the lead and looked set to collect on the run-in. However, 5lb claimer Niall Moore never gave up on the CDL Racing Limited-owned 10/1 winner, and managed to turn the tide late on for a head success; the pair pulling 15 lengths clear of the rest.

The second-placed mare, sent off at 18/1, touched as low as 1/10 in the in-running markets.

Fenton said: “When he took it up, I was thinking ‘are we there too soon?’ Niall knew what he was doing. He took the bull by the horns and it worked out. The extra half mile [compared to when running on into third here at Christmas] was a big help to him and this was the plan.

“Niall is in with me six days a week and is a great chap. He had to get down to 9st 9lb today, so that would be tough going; he wouldn’t have had much to eat over the last three or four days but was adamant he’d do the weight.”