Leopardstown, Thursday 9 July 2026: Race-by-Race Tips

Leopardstown, Thursday 9 July 2026: Race-by-Race Tips

Good to firm ground at Leopardstown on a partly cloudy Thursday, and the card throws up three races worth focusing on. The feature handicap over a mile and a furlong looks wide open at the top of the market, there’s a sharp seven-furlong handicap to kick things off, and the Group 3 fillies’ race at 5:55 has one angle that stands out clearly on the figures. Let’s get into it.

5:25 — BOYLE Sports ‘Pick Your Place’ Handicap (7f)

Zenford is the selection here, and the 7/4 (Boyle Sports, Betfred, LiveScore Bet) is fair rather than generous, but this looks like one of those races where the form horse simply wins. J.P. Murtagh’s yard has had two winners from 25 runners in the last fortnight, which is modest, but that shouldn’t deter from a horse who has been progressive throughout the campaign.

Zenford came home a winner last time out, capping a sequence of 3-3-3-2-1 that screams a horse finding his level and travelling through it quickly. His speed figure matches the pace of the leading pair in this field, and he’s back over the seven furlongs he’s already proven at. The first-time hood is the one variable, but Murtagh tends to be deliberate with gear changes rather than reactive, and the horse’s record doesn’t suggest a behavioural problem so much as a trainer fine-tuning a progressive three-year-old.

Invincible Will at 10/1 is interesting as the top-rated on figures despite a below-par last run. The hood and tongue-tie combination today suggests Cromwell has identified something, but with the yard firing at only 1 from 23 over the past two weeks, the timing feels off. Against the 7/4 shot who is clearly in form, the risk-reward doesn’t stack up.

Selection: Zenford, 7/4

5:55 — XIN GIN Irish EBF Brownstown Stakes (Group 3, 7f)

Six runners, Group 3 company, and Duckadilly tops the figures at 105. That’s the starting point. The five-year-old mare scored two starts back and has today’s trip and good to firm ground already covered. Her latest run was below par, but coming back within a fortnight suggests Daniel McLoughlin is satisfied with her rather than concerned, and a yard that’s had zero winners from nine runners recently won’t be sending her here without confidence in the horse’s wellbeing.

The 11/4 available across all three books is workable at the head of the market on figures, but Phenomenal Filly at 9/4 is the danger and the pricing favourite. The three-year-old Patrick Twomey filly has the trip and going in her favour and Twomey’s 26% course strike rate at Leopardstown is the best of any trainer on this card. The concern is a 285-day absence. That is a long time away regardless of how well a horse works at home, and Twomey has been at 2 from 18 runners recently, so the yard isn’t in a purple patch. Fourth on figures despite that time off is admirable, but a fresh three-year-old in a Group 3 against proven older mares is a risk at odds-on territory.

Duckadilly at 11/4 to beat the market leader represents the value angle on form figures alone.

Selection: Duckadilly, 11/4 (Boyle Sports, Betfred)

7:03 — Double First Stables Irish EBF Nasrullah Handicap (Premier Handicap, 1m1f)

Twelve runners declared (with Cloud Seeker a non-runner), good to firm ground, and a genuine puzzle at the top of the market. Jamestown at 6/4 is the public’s idea of the answer but the figures say something different.

Lord Massusus Each-Way tops the field on figures with a clear 105, and that rating edge over the favourite is hard to ignore at 18/1. Yes, he hasn’t won in his last five starts, but he’s stayed competitive throughout and the figures back that up. He has today’s trip and going covered, and an 11-day turnaround suggests Joseph Murphy has him ready. The trainer’s recent strike rate is poor at 0 from 3, but in a wide-open handicap where the top-rated is available at 18/1, the each-way case at three places, 1/5 odds, is compelling.

Diego El Queso at 6/1 is the next most interesting runner. G.M. Lyons has been extraordinary recently at 9 from 20 (45%), which is a yard absolutely firing on all cylinders. Diego El Queso won last time out with two seconds and a third also in his recent record. The 85-day break is the query, but Lyons clearly freshens horses well given that run rate. Second on figures and with a trainer stat that cannot be ignored, this is your safer pick if 18/1 feels too adventurous.

Jamestown at 6/4 is the market’s choice but he’s only third on figures, and his defining characteristic so far is being competitive without winning. That’s a red flag at favourite prices in a 12-runner Premier Handicap.

Selection: Lord Massusus (Each-Way, 18/1) with Diego El Queso as the saver at 6/1

Today’s NAP

Diego El Queso — Double First Stables Irish EBF Nasrullah Handicap (19:03, Leopardstown)
Odds: 6/1 — Boyle Sports (others: 6/1 Betfred, 6/1 LiveScore Bet)

G.M. Lyons is the trainer angle that makes this selection hard to leave alone. Nine winners from 20 runners in the last fortnight is a yard running at a level that demands respect in any betting market. Diego El Queso won last time out and built that success on a foundation of two seconds and a third, making him one of the more consistent profiles in this field. He has the trip and going covered, he’s second on the figures behind a 18/1 shot, and at 6/1 with a yard firing this aggressively, the price looks generous for a horse with genuine winning claims.