15:00 Leopardstown

With more top-class jumps action in store for viewers today, including Chepstow’s Welsh Grand National plus the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton, Leopardstown’s high-quality Christmas programme in Ireland continues.

Today’s card will feature the Paddy Power Chase, one of the toughest handicaps in the Irish jumps season, and this year’s renewal is ferociously competitive as ever, making it a scary puzzle, but equally a good race to tackle from a value perspective.

This is the sort of race where you can make a case for a handful of outsiders and this valuable race in particular has been won by some decent horses over the years, including Colbert Station and Anibale Fly, who are just a couple of names to mention.

That said, most will fondly remember Jerry Hannon’s famous commentary in this race three years ago when calling home Roaring Bull, who overhauled Fitzhenry in the closing stages.

The outcome of this race is also likely to have an impact on the Cheltenham Festival markets as the winner/placed horses are likely to shorten for one of the major handicaps in March.

Who is the favourite for the Paddy Power Chase?

The favourite for this year’s running is Panda Boy, who’s currently available at 6/1, and has warmed up for this race with a couple of spins in graded events, finishing fourth respectively, in each of those.

He won at this course over hurdles last Christmas and his trainer has clearly aimed him at this race since going over fences. However, he does lack the experience for a competitive handicap of this nature and that’s a concern.

It is, however, worth mentioning that we have only seen one winning favourite in the last 10 renewals of this race, so that is another stat to defy let alone his lack of chase experience. He is opposable at his current odds.

Noel Meade’s good record in this race could continue

School Boy Hours produced a late surge to take this race 12 months ago for Noel Meade and he has a live chance of winning this race again with the progressive Farceur Du Large, available at 11/1.

He has won one of his two starts this season, and impressed when beating Take All at Punchestown when last spotted and has yet to finish outside the top four in all completed chase starts, which bodes well for his chances.

He has been hit with a six-pounds rise but he shouldn’t have a problem over this distance and has a similar profile to last year’s winner plus he’s won two of his last four starts which is a good sign. He had previously ran well behind the likes of Stattler, French Dynamite and while he’s never run at this course, he should be suited to it. The seven-year-old is open to further improvement and could reward each-way supporters here.

Moreover, he is currently 25/1 for the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and if he goes well here, his price is likely to have an influence on the market for Cheltenham, as it is mostly likely to shorten.

JP McManus could hold the aces

When you reflect on some of the previous winners of this race, JP McManus has owned four of the last 10 winners of this and has six participants this time round with the main hopeful looking like Donkey Years, available at 7/1.

Mark Walsh has chosen to ride him over the remainder and he ran quite a tidy race when third in the Munsters National last time behind The Big Dog. The eight-year-old has been left on the exact same mark here and could be up to the task ahead, though he will need a new personal best

Furthermore, he has been found wanting off lower marks in this sphere which makes him vulnerable in my opinion taking on even tougher opponents here. He could easily make the frame but at single-figure odds, likewise to the favourite, neither appeal from a betting point of view.

Gallant John Joe a major each-way player at a price

There are plenty to consider in this year’s field but I like one of the horses, each-way, especially with most firms paying up to six and seven places. The horse that comes to mind is the talented Gallant John Joe, who’s priced up a general 16/1.

His trainer Oliver McKiernan has his stable in very good form, who’s had three winners and three placed efforts from his last ten runners plus this nine-year-old, who has lots of strong form in the book, has been targeted at this race for a while.

Surprisingly, he still remains a maiden over fences but he has been highly-tried throughout his career to date and has bags of experience of this course. He was third here in a Grade 1 over hurdles and ran respectably behind the likes of Ferny Hollow, Notebook and Melon afterwards over fences.

He ran a super race on his handicap debut here at the Dublin Racing Festival in February when fourth of 17 over 2m5f, where he was very unlucky not to go close to winning the race, given he was badly hampered at one point and was shuffled towards the rear of the field.

He somehow stayed on strongly with a degree of purpose to be nearest the finish and that performance alone suggested a longer distance could suit. That form is strong too, as he had some good horses in behind him such as a Grand National winner and past Cheltenham Festival winners.

His final start of the campaign saw him finish second to Whiskey Sour over hurdles and while he’s been beaten a fairly long way in both his starts this term over fences, he’s still made the frame in each of those and I am sure connections will have left plenty to work on with this race in mind since.

In addition, he’s back in handicap company off a four-pounds lower mark than his creditable handicap debut effort here in February plus a good claimer will be on his back, who takes off a handy five-pounds. If the step up in trip works the oracle, he is one to consider each-way at double-figure digits.

A big run here would potentially see him go for one of the major handicaps for the Cheltenham Festival too, something like the Ultima Handicap Chase perhaps, for which he’s priced up at 25/1 (only with one firm) and that price could shorten pre-race after this one.