Leopardstown Dublin Racing Festival.

Mr321

A month away now to the new festival.
7 Grade 1 races looks to be a good 2 days of racing hopefully given some nice horses show up.
Do you think some trainers and owners may skip it thinking its to close to Cheltenham for their liking?
Hopefully it brings a few English horses over also.
Thoughts ?

posturingpat

I'm going down for the Saturday with a crowd from work. Any group deals available for basic entry?

Gavin "shels"

posturingpat wrote: »

I'm going down for the Saturday with a crowd from work. Any group deals available for basic entry?

http://www.leopardstown.com/visit/tickets/groups/

Shemale

Gavin "shels" wrote: »

http://www.leopardstown.com/visit/tickets/groups/

Says in the link €15 general, was sure I saw €25 somewhere here and was definitely €25 for Christmas meeting.

Onthetreble

posturingpat wrote: »

I'm going down for the Saturday with a crowd from work. Any group deals available for basic entry?

Long time boards reader, thought it was time to jump in on the fun.

I recently enquired into the entry fee for the Dublin racing festival. Entry price on the Sunday is €35 per person, Im presuming the Saturday is the same. Increase in ticket price due to the total number of grade 1 races now taking place. As well as the significant jump in prize money for the majority of the races.

We were offered a price of €25 per head entry with a group of over 20 people.

chancer007

Hi,

Its €30 on the sunday for general admission if you buy online
BR

Itziger

Mr321 wrote: »

A month away now to the new festival.
7 Grade 1 races looks to be a good 2 days of racing hopefully given some nice horses show up.
Do you think some trainers and owners may skip it thinking its to close to Cheltenham for their liking?
Hopefully it brings a few English horses over also.
Thoughts ?

With the modern style (thanks Best Mate!), yes some trainers will think it's too close. I'm no expert but 5 and a half weeks seems like a fair gap between races.

picachu

Lowest price ticket to get into Cheltenham is £25

They decide to invent a festival and want to charge more than Cheltenham!!!

Dublin festival is a trials day...

I went to the hurdle last year.... €20 entry fee... Wont be going back... Will be watching from the couch. PP online will be benefit instead if the smaller oncourse bookmaker.

piplip87

Keep an eye on Pigsback, they have some great deals for the Christmas festival. Hopefully a few good horse show up. For some it will be perfect for a run before the big one

Gautama

picachu wrote: »

Lowest price ticket to get into Cheltenham is £25

They decide to invent a festival and want to charge more than Cheltenham!!!

Dublin festival is a trials day...

I went to the hurdle last year.... €20 entry fee... Wont be going back... Will be watching from the couch. PP online will be benefit instead if the smaller oncourse bookmaker.

The Best Mate enclosure hardly counts as Cheltenham though.

chancer007

was going to go until I saw the €30 entrance fee
I know they have a €50 special for the 2 days but cant make both days

a new racing festival gives them a fresh opportunity to fleece punters.

like a previous poster said, do a few bets in PP & watch on the TV

RivetingRoger

According to their latest press release, the Irish Champion Hurdle will feature Faugheen V Beavau D'air V Samcro V Supasundae

If that happens I will eat all your hats.....

picachu

Gautama wrote: »

The Best Mate enclosure hardly counts as Cheltenham though.

If they rate themselves so highly why dont they do like Cheltenham and give restricted access for a smaller entry fee.. As they currently do boxing off half the parade ring

charliegeorge

If anyone spots any deals on tickets could you post a link please. I might go on the Saturday but not at €30. I'd be as well off spending the €30 on a couple of pints.

moneymore

I think €30 is a fair price for top class racing, 7 grade 1s over 2 days! ffs you'd pay 15 quid into a ****ty meeting down the country!

WickIow Brave

moneymore wrote: »

I think €30 is a fair price for top class racing, 7 grade 1s over 2 days! ffs you'd pay 15 quid into a ****ty meeting down the country!

I know yeah how stingy are some people like. The two days for 50 quid is excellent. I've gone to ****e concerts and matches for more.

picachu

WickIow Brave wrote: »

I know yeah how stingy are some people like. The two days for 50 quid is excellent. I've gone to ****e concerts and matches for more.

Than don't go to ****e matches or concerts...

Feel free to waste your money... Im sure there are plenty more like you

WickIow Brave

picachu wrote: »

Than don't go to ****e matches or concerts...

Feel free to waste your money... Im sure there are plenty more like you

If I had a crystal ball and knew they'd be ****e I wouldn't go to them lol. Feel free to whinge over a few euro, I'm sure life's a laugh a minute with ya.

stretchaq

€30 is great value, it was £70 for Cheltenham a few years ago and £8.50 for a burger!!! Lepordstown is always great value in fairness

picachu

stretchaq wrote: »

€30 is great value, it was £70 for Cheltenham a few years ago and £8.50 for a burger!!! Lepordstown is always great value in fairness

How is paing €30 this great value when it was €20 last year?? 3 grade ones on the card last year...

WickIow Brave

picachu wrote: »

How is paing €30 this great value when it was €20 last year?? 3 grade ones on the card last year...

Last year's card had a maiden hurdle, a 0-123 handicap chase, a Grade 2 and two Grade 1s. This year's card has three Grade 1s, 2 Grade 2s, and 2 Grade B handicaps. Horses running will be Samcro, Next Destination, Footpad, Petit Mouchoir, Faugheen, Melon, Yorkhill, Min, Rapid Escape, Hollowgraphic and plenty more. Last year had Melon, Petit Mouchoir and Footpad. There's no comparison. I would consider €30 this year better value than €20 last year tbh.

The Mig

Thankfully I'm under 30. €90 membership for every Leopardstown meeting

RivetingRoger

Killultagh Vic 7/1 for IGC

Thank you very much....

handsfree2

RivetingRoger wrote: »

Killultagh Vic 7/1 for IGC

Thank you very much....

I think that's a very short price for a horse that's been injured for a year with only 2 chase starts to his name.

kfallon

handsfree2 wrote: »

I think that's a very short price for a horse that's been injured for a year with only 2 chase starts to his name.

Closer to 2 years. It's actually 2 years to the day since his unbelievable win at Leopardstown

RivetingRoger

Don't see much to beat it. Our Duke will go off short, but wouldn't touch it.
Think its a very good price for KV
Coney Island another at a similar price worth looking at

handsfree2

RivetingRoger wrote: »

Don't see much to beat it. Our Duke will go off short, but wouldn't touch it.
Think its a very good price for KV
Coney Island another at a similar price worth looking at

I'd have road to respect as favorite after his Christmas performance. 3/1 on him seems quite generous.

There are a lot of decent horses with question marks over them. I've a soft spot for Anibale fly I'd be inclined to give him a chance

RivetingRoger

I see Nicky admitting now that BD will only travel if Sandown is called off....so no nicholls, no tizzard, no Henderson.
Will still be an epic 2 days regardless, but when Leopardstown out out that press release yesterday, they knew will it was BS

NickB1337

I know this might be a stupid question but do you think they'll have any of the 6 nations rugby on for watching between races?

Francie Barrett

RivetingRoger wrote: »

I see Nicky admitting now that BD will only travel if Sandown is called off....so no nicholls, no tizzard, no Henderson.
Will still be an epic 2 days regardless, but when Leopardstown out out that press release yesterday, they knew will it was BS

If that is going to be the response from British trainers, then they've lost any right to complain about the lack of prize money in the future. Nicky Henderson's response in particular was totally spineless. He has no excuse to run the best hurdler going in Buveur D'Air in a £15k egg and spoon race when he could be going to Ireland and winning a much better race and taking home a £90k purse.

Seriously, I hope the Irish trainers pull their pants down at Cheltenham this year.

Francie Barrett

NickB1337 wrote: »

I know this might be a stupid question but do you think they'll have any of the 6 nations rugby on for watching between races?

You might catch it in the on-course Paddy Power, but I imagine it will be bunged in there. I think there's also a bar underneath the main stand that has other sports on TV.

handsfree2

Francie Barrett wrote: »

If that is going to be the response from British trainers, then they've lost any right to complain about the lack of prize money in the future. Nicky Henderson's response in particular was totally spineless. He has no excuse to run the best hurdler going in Buveur D'Air in a £15k egg and spoon race when he could be going to Ireland and winning a much better race and taking home a £90k purse.

Seriously, I hope the Irish trainers pull their pants down at Cheltenham this year.

Here here

RivetingRoger

Am I the only one glad that BD V Faugheen won't happen till March
Adds to the intrigue and the anticipation of it
Most people hate that the NH season is all geared toward the festival and we don't see these match up through out the year, I actually like that!

Oct - Feb is like WC qualifiers, March then is the tournament itself.

Zarkandar

Francie Barrett wrote: »

You might catch it in the on-course Paddy Power, but I imagine it will be bunged in there. I think there's also a bar underneath the main stand that has other sports on TV.

6 Nations rugby will definitely be on plenty of tv's downstairs and in the bars. They now do a fair job of having other big sporting events being shown at track during racing.

handsfree2

RivetingRoger wrote: »

Am I the only one glad that BD V Faugheen won't happen till March
Adds to the intrigue and the anticipation of it
Most people hate that the NH season is all geared toward the festival and we don't see these match up through out the year, I actually like that!

Oct - Feb is like WC qualifiers, March then is the tournament itself.

If faugheen beat BV then it would make the Cheltenham race a lot more interesting in my opinion. The champ looking for revenge on the come back kid.

kfallon

Fúck the 6 Nations

Zarkandar

kfallon wrote: »

Fúck the 6 Nations

You might have to ask at the bar to get the Pro14 on.

Mr321

RivetingRoger wrote: »

Killultagh Vic 7/1 for IGC

Thank you very much....

Road to Respect wins it.

sweeneed

min v yorkhill. money seems to be coming for min while yorkhill drifts......

BumperD

Francie Barrett wrote: »

If that is going to be the response from British trainers, then they've lost any right to complain about the lack of prize money in the future. Nicky Henderson's response in particular was totally spineless. He has no excuse to run the best hurdler going in Buveur D'Air in a £15k egg and spoon race when he could be going to Ireland and winning a much better race and taking home a £90k purse.

Seriously, I hope the Irish trainers pull their pants down at Cheltenham this year.

Why would any trainer give their star performers a hard race before the main season target? Traveling to another country added in. Makes sense to me that they are avoiding this but will be there for punchestown or Aintree

Francie Barrett

BumperD wrote: »

Why would any trainer give their star performers a hard race before the main season target? Traveling to another country added in. Makes sense to me that they are avoiding this but will be there for punchestown or Aintree

It was just one example off the top of my head, but having said that Faugheen, Hurricane Fly, Brave Inca, Istabraq - all these horses did the Irish/English Champion Hurdle double. But whether Buveur D'Air travelled or not, the point still remains, surely there are English trained horses that might not fancy the stiff Cheltenham finish and will swerve it to go for Aintree anyway. If that's the case, then Leopardstown as a flat track would be perfect preparation for it.

BumperD

Francie Barrett wrote: »

It was just one example off the top of my head, but having said that Faugheen, Hurricane Fly, Brave Inca, Istabraq - all these horses did the Irish/English Champion Hurdle double. But whether Buveur D'Air travelled or not, the point still remains, surely there are English trained horses that might not fancy the stiff Cheltenham finish and will swerve it to go for Aintree anyway. If that's the case, then Leopardstown as a flat track would be perfect preparation for it.

I think if cheltenham was first then Leopardstown second then the Faugheen etc comparison would be valid but that’s not the way it lines up.

I suspect every single one of the top U.K. hurdlers and chasers still have an eye on the festival , The lower quality horses would be playing for place money only at best and given the strength in dept of 2nd third strings this side of the pond maybe not even place money. That’s my thinking anyway

antietam

Francie Barrett wrote: »

It was just one example off the top of my head, but having said that Faugheen, Hurricane Fly, Brave Inca, Istabraq - all these horses did the Irish/English Champion Hurdle double. But whether Buveur D'Air travelled or not, the point still remains, surely there are English trained horses that might not fancy the stiff Cheltenham finish and will swerve it to go for Aintree anyway. If that's the case, then Leopardstown as a flat track would be perfect preparation for it.

"Leopardstown as a flat track" and I believed for years you knew what you were talking about.

posturingpat

Six nations going to be on the big screens around the track, well the Ireland France game anyway, not sure on the others.

uxiant

Walk up from the car park at Leopardstown and you will know immediately that it is anything but flat.

diomed

uxiant wrote: »

Walk up from the car park at Leopardstown and you will know immediately that it is anything but flat.

Almost every track I can think of has a rise to the finish, and I don't know why.
It might be to provide a stamina test.
It might be because people learned that if the finish was is a dip it would be heavy going for spectators in wet weather.
And having the stands on a height must make it easier to view the course.

The Mig

From standing inside the track on the golf course, the height difference from looking at the back straight to the finishing straight is massive

hawaii501

It is definitely not a flat track anyway, if anything it is similar to Cheltenham hill finish(not as daunting though).

Anyway getting away from that, I think it is great value for money considering the racing on offer. A lot better than the Christmas festival for an extra 10er.
might even go premium for this :pac::pac:

uxiant

Kevin Blake wrote about this a few years ago. On the old course at Cheltenham the rise up the hill is 8m which is just short of the 10m rise on the new course. Leopardstown's rise from the beginning of the straight is 8m. 6f out at Leopardstown the rise is a significant 15m.

Leopardstown looks pretty flat from the stand because it isn't undulating but rather has a steady rise to the finish. Once you step into the golf course or walk up from the car park you immediately realise it's anything but flat however. Probably one of the stiffest tests out there actually.

The Mig

I think he said Navan was the stiffest finish in that blog

BumperD

Galway is 21m from the fence in the dip to the top of hill finishing post.