Leopardstown, Thursday 4 June 2026: Tips and Best Bets

Leopardstown, Thursday 4 June 2026: Tips and Best Bets

Light rain and yielding ground at Leopardstown sets up a fascinating evening card. The going will sort out the pretenders from the genuine players, and with the Epsom Derby only two days away, eyes across the racing world are already drifting to Surrey. But tonight’s action at Leopardstown deserves its own focus, and there are some sharp angles across the three featured races.

Aidan O’Brien fires 8 from 30 over the last fortnight, a yard ticking over but not firing at its absolute peak. Ryan Moore posts a phenomenal 32% strike rate at this course. When Moore rides for O’Brien here, you pay attention.

6:00 — BOYLE Sports Apprentice Handicap (7f, Yielding, 11 runners)

Selection: Mallavelly (15/2, Boyle Sports) Each-Way

G M Lyons has gone 5 from 11 over the last 14 days, one of the hottest yards in training right now, and Mallavelly is a course specialist with a serious profile in handicaps. This mare climbed 11lb in the weights last season for back-to-back wins here and at Tipperary, then ran a cracking third in a premier handicap at this very track on her final start, finishing ahead of today’s rival Bella Isabella. She steps back down from a Group 3 tilt on her return, which always represents a yard setting a horse up for a confidence restoring run. The 7f trip on yielding suits, and with Jack Kearney in the saddle for a trainer who knows how to place them, this is a prime setup. At 15/2 with three places on offer at 1/5 odds, she is the each-way banker of the race.

A word on Bella Isabella at 13/2: D K Weld has gone 2 from 4 in the last fortnight, making it a genuinely competitive market. The concern with Bella Isabella is her well-beaten seasonal return at Naas, and her previous form at this course came in a bigger field over a mile. Trip might be on the short side here.

6:30 — King George V Cup (Listed Race, 1m4f, Yielding, 5 runners)

Selection: Endorsement (2/7, Boyle Sports/Betfred/LiveScore Bet)

Short-priced favourites are only worth flagging when the case is genuinely airtight, and Endorsement’s profile makes it hard to argue against him even at odds-on. His RPR of 116 dwarfs everything else in this field, and his form ties directly into the cream of the Irish Derby generation. He pressed Pierre Bonnard and James J Braddock in the Derby Trial, two horses at the very top of the market. Ryan Moore takes the ride, and at Leopardstown that combination carries serious weight: Moore wins 32% of his rides at this track. The 1m4f trip on yielding ground is no issue for a colt who clearly stays and is bred to excel in these conditions.

Amadeus Mozart at 4/1 is the each-way option in the loosest sense, and the Spotlight note that he looked like he needed further than 1m2f when well held in the Gallinule is interesting now that he gets 1m4f. But the gap in class to Endorsement looks too wide to bridge in a five-runner Listed field paying only two places. Swerve the each-way market here and take the win single if you fancy an investment.

Yousaynothingatall at 8/1 to 9/1 is a handicap filly dropped into Listed company, and whilst Dylan Browne McMonagle is a superb talent, the class jump is too steep. Leave it.

7:30 — BOYLE Sports ‘Home Of The Early Payout’ Handicap (1m1f, Yielding, 8 runners)

Selection: Sweet Baby Zou (10/3, Boyle Sports/Betfred)

This is a fascinating puzzle. Sweet Baby Zou won at Gowran on Monday, two days after a poor run at Down Royal, and now returns under a mandatory 7lb penalty. That sounds like a turn-off, but read the Spotlight note carefully: she won comfortably having hit the front some way out, with the first two clear of the field, on easier ground with cheekpieces fitted for the first time. Joseph Patrick O’Brien’s yard is running at 10 from 64 over the last fortnight, which is volume in the context of a big yard, and Dylan Browne McMonagle stays on board. The key question is whether the 7lb rise brings her back to the field. Given she won with authority rather than scraping home, there could be more improvement in the tank. Today’s yielding going at Leopardstown is close enough to the conditions she excelled on at Gowran.

Monvoe at 7/2 is the most obvious danger. Two wins on the spin, including a course victory last month under today’s rider Reese Holohan, and a 16lb rise for those successes. If he handles the rise in the weights, he is a genuine threat, but backing a horse who has gone up 16lb in the handicap is a tricky proposition even when the form looks strong. R P Cody goes 0 from 5 recently, which adds a note of caution.

How’sthebai at 7/2 is interesting for the Lyons yard, which is in cracking form. His Naas return was progressive and the step up in trip should bring more improvement. He is unlucky to be in the same race as Sweet Baby Zou on this evidence.

Red Autumn for D K Weld is worth noting as a stayer who wanted further than 7f on her return at Naas. This extra trip looks spot on and the yard is in form. She is not without a chance at 15/2, but Sweet Baby Zou’s immediate recency and the dominant nature of her Gowran win tips the balance.

Today’s NAP

Sweet Baby Zou — BOYLE Sports ‘Home Of The Early Payout’ Handicap (7:30, Leopardstown)
Odds: 10/3 — Boyle Sports (others: 10/3 Betfred, 10/3 LiveScore Bet)

Monday’s Gowran win was striking in its style: first-time cheekpieces, a step up in trip, and she hit the front decisively with daylight back to the remainder. Moves to yielding Leopardstown under Dylan Browne McMonagle, who continues a fine season, and whilst the 7lb penalty tightens the race up, a horse who won with that much in hand can absorb it. Joseph Patrick O’Brien’s yard is active and placing horses well right now. At 10/3 in an open 3yo handicap, this is a fair price for a filly arriving in form rather than off the back of a prep run.