Leopardstown Tips: Thursday 16 July 2026

Leopardstown Tips: Thursday 16 July 2026

Eight races on the Leopardstown card tonight, with a Group 3 headline act and a couple of competitive juvenile maidens to get the teeth into. Aidan O’Brien’s course record of 20% winners at the track is worth keeping in mind, but it’s Joseph O’Brien’s yard that looks red-hot right now, with Star Of Lights holding a formidable 19 wins from 53 runners over the past fortnight. Back them where the price warrants it, and look elsewhere where it doesn’t.

7:10 Boyle Sports Meld Stakes (Group 3, 1m1f)

Six runners in this Group 3, and the market has settled on Geryon (2/1) and Isaac Newton (5/2) as the principals. Neither can be dismissed, but the angle that appeals most here is Snellen at 4/1 with Boyle Sports, Betfred and LiveScore Bet.

Gavin Cromwell’s yard hasn’t been firing over the past two weeks on the figures (1/23), but Snellen’s own profile is the compelling part of this. She sits second on the figures at 111, trails only Adelaide River in the ratings, and has the trip under her belt. The win four starts back and the placed effort two starts back represent solid Group company form. Yes, a below-par fifth last time raises a question, but Group 3 maidens who finish fifth can bounce back sharply, particularly when the trip and track combination suits.

The market principals both have form queries. Geryon hasn’t won in his last five, and for all Isaac Newton’s useful speed figure of 92, a sixth-place finish last time from his most recent start is hard to paper over. Snellen at 4/1, rated second in the race, is the value play here. Adelaide River is top of the figures at 114 but has also failed to score in five attempts, and a below-par reappearance after a 30-day break tempers enthusiasm.

Selection: Snellen, 4/1 (Boyle Sports, Betfred, LiveScore Bet)

4:20 Irish EBF Median Sires Series Maiden (6½f, 2yo)

Twelve runners, a big field for a juvenile maiden, and the market couldn’t be clearer. Star Of State is a standout odds-on favourite at 1/2 across the board, trained by Joseph Patrick O’Brien whose yard is running at a sizzling 19 wins from 53 over the past fortnight. Dylan Browne McMonagle takes the ride, the stable’s go-to jockey right now.

Star Of State showed promise on debut with a runner-up finish, and the combination of the in-form yard, a leading jockey booking, and experience over unexposed rivals makes her a worthy favourite. The only reservation is the price. At 1/2, you’re not getting paid to be right, and in a maiden with 12 runners you’re getting paid even less if something goes wrong.

If you’re a win-only punter, take the favourite and move on. For those looking elsewhere, This That at 5/1 (Boyle Sports, Betfred) with Colin Keane aboard and G M Lyons training at 5/23 over the last 14 days is the obvious alternative. Lyons knows how to place a juvenile, Keane is always a plus, and 5/1 in a 12-runner maiden with three place positions pays each-way.

Selection: This That Each-Way, 5/1 (Boyle Sports, Betfred)

4:50 Irish EBF Auction Series Maiden (7f, 2yo)

Thirteen runners in this one, and again Joseph O’Brien’s yard dominates with Ballyskeagh at 5/2 (Boyle Sports) and 9/4 (LiveScore Bet), ridden by Dylan Browne McMonagle. She ran fifth on debut, which is useful experience in a field where several runners are making their first appearance, and the O’Brien-McMonagle combination is frankly the standout booking on the card today.

Donnacha O’Brien’s operation has also been ticking over at 4/16 in the last two weeks, which isn’t a yard to ignore, though their representative Razmataz has two unplaced efforts behind him including an 8th, making him a tough sell at any price.

The each-way case here belongs to Star Glory Each-Way at 7/1 (Boyle Sports, LiveScore Bet) with Colin Keane riding. Noel Meade has sent her out once before, she’s placed on debut (ran sixth), and Keane’s presence at 7/1 in a 13-runner maiden with three places paid is exactly the kind of each-way angle that justifies a split stake. At that price with three on the podium, you only need her to fill a spot.

Ballyskeagh is the win selection, but if the market shortens her further before the off, Star Glory each-way at 7/1 deserves serious consideration as a standalone play.

Win selection: Ballyskeagh, 5/2 (Boyle Sports)
Each-way alternative: Star Glory, 7/1 (Boyle Sports, LiveScore Bet)

Today’s NAP

Snellen — Boyle Sports Meld Stakes (7:10, Leopardstown)
Odds: 4/1 — Boyle Sports (others: 4/1 Betfred, 4/1 LiveScore Bet)

Rated second of six on the figures at 111, Snellen has the trip, the Group form, and the credentials to outrun a 4/1 price against a favourite who hasn’t won in five attempts and a second-favourite coming off a below-par effort. Cromwell’s yard stats aren’t flashing, but this mare’s individual profile does the talking. At 4/1 in a six-runner Group 3, this is the most clear-cut value on the card.