Leopardstown, Wednesday 15 April: Tips and Selections

Leopardstown, Wednesday 15 April: Tips and Selections

Leopardstown stages eight races on yielding ground this afternoon, and the card has genuine depth across the three featured races below. The ground suits horses with a bit of class through the bridle rather than sheer gallopers, and the Listed opener at 3:07 is the standout puzzle of the afternoon. With LIV Golf and the RBC Heritage both kicking off tomorrow, there is still plenty of reason to focus on the track today. Let's get into it.

1:22 — Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden (1m2f, Yielding)

Selection: Knowinmeknowinyou — 9/2 (Bet Victor, talkSPORT BET, Betano)

The form angle here is clear enough. Knowinmeknowinyou shaped with considerable promise on her only start back in October, staying on for third behind the easy winner Amelia Earhart over a mile on yielding ground. The key detail: the runner-up from that race has won since. That form has advertised itself well, and the step up to 1m2f looks perfectly timed for a filly with Oaks entries. Joseph Patrick O'Brien's yard is firing at 8/56 over the last 14 days, a solid enough clip for a stable of that size, and this filly arrives with a clear fitness edge over the majority of newcomers in the field.

The market also respects Eretria at 13/8 favourite, and she is not without claims. Purchased for 420,000gns and beaten less than a length at Dundalk on debut, she holds Oaks entries of her own. The concern is the switch from all-weather to turf, and yielding Leopardstown is a different beast entirely. Knowinmeknowinyou already handles this ground, already has racecourse experience, and her form holds up better than it might appear at first glance. The 9/2 is workable each-way money in a 10-runner field, but the win chance is genuine enough.

2:32 — "Domin OH HOO HOO" Handicap (1m2f, Yielding, 14 runners)

Selection: Abbey Actress Each-Way — 3/1 (Bet365), 11/4 (William Hill), 4.3 Betfair Exchange

The Spotlight note on Abbey Actress is compelling reading. She won off a mark 9lb lower than today's on soft ground at Navan last April, and she arrives here having already run a race on seasonal debut that can be upgraded. She met trouble in running over a mile at the Curragh and still managed third, and the step back to 1m2f brings her squarely back to the trip she won over. Johnny Murtagh's yard has hit 3/25 over the past fortnight, which is decent enough, and Ben Coen is one of the sharpest riders in Ireland when given a live chance.

Diego El Queso at around 5/2 is the form pick on Curragh running and Colin Keane aboard gives him obvious claims, but the handicapper may have him pegged. Abbey Actress at 3/1 looks the superior each-way proposition in a 14-runner field with four places paid. The yielding ground suits, the trip suits, and the Curragh run reads better than the bare result. At these prices, she is the value anchor of the race.

3:07 — Irish Stallion Farms EBF Heritage Stakes (Listed, 1m, Yielding)

Selection: The Lion In Winter — 11/8 (Bet Victor, talkSPORT BET, Betano)

The top-rated horse in the field by some distance and the form figure of 125 RPR sets him apart from the rest on paper. Aidan O'Brien sends three runners, but The Lion In Winter is clearly the first string here with Wayne Lordan in the saddle. His form reads 03230 which, on the surface, looks modest for a Listed favourite, but the level of those runs should not be underestimated. A colt of this profile does not carry a 125 RPR without winning good races, and a return to a flat mile on yielding Leopardstown ground brings him back to conditions where he can express himself.

Mutasarref at 6/1 deserves plenty of respect. Four wins at this track, twice at Group 3 level in 2024, and a solid seasonal best when running on for second in the Solonaway Stakes. Colin Keane knows this horse inside out. At 6/1, he makes solid each-way appeal against a short-priced favourite. Lord Massusus at 16/1 is the value shout for the placed money: he won this exact race last season, denying the odds-on Mutasarref in the final strides, and his seasonal debut was flat in the Gladness Stakes. The yard is cold, but horses can rebound fast from uninspiring returns.

The headline bet is The Lion In Winter at 11/8, but the race sets up perfectly for a Mutasarref place at 6/1 if you want a saver.

Today's NAP