13:45 Leopardstown

It’s day three of the Christmas Racing Festival at Leopardstown, where the Grade 1 Savills Chase is the headline act on the card. It is also the highest of the whole four-day programme and can predominately turn out to be quite an informative guide towards the Cheltenham Gold Cup later in the season in March.

There is Grade 1 action on the undercard though, which is the three-mile Christmas Hurdle, featuring stayers’ hurdle Flooring Porter, who bids to go one better than last year before heading to Cheltenham in his quest to win the stayers for the third year in succession.

Both of these prestigious events are sure to provide plenty of clues for the Cheltenham Festival and I have previewed each race in the hope of potentially identifying the winner and also looked ahead to some runners who could shake-up the Cheltenham ante-post market with a big performance.

Christmas Hurdle

The G1 Jack De Bromhead Christmas Hurdle is one of the most competitive top-level races at Leopardstown’s meeting and has been renamed to commemorate the really sad passing of Henry’s son earlier this year. The whole day will be dedicated to Jack, who had a major positive influence on the Irish racing community.

With Limestone Lad, Voler La Vedette, Vroum Vroum Mag and three-time winner Apple’s Jade just a few household famous names to mention who have added their name to the roll of honour, this year’s line-up has an open feel about it and whoever comes out on top is sure to receive some strong pre-race market support for the Stayers’ Hurdle in March.

Bob bids for a fairytale success

There won’t be a dry eye in the house if Bob Olinger (best price 10/3) can provide connections with an emotional success on only his second (first over hurdles) attempt at three miles here. He capitalised on Galopin Des Champs’ last-gasp fall to win the Turners Novices’ Chase when becoming a dual Cheltenham Festival winner in March.

While that fortunate success ensured he kept his unbeaten record fences intact when taking it to three-from-three at the time, he hasn’t been able to deliver his best in that sphere and flopped at Punchestown on his next start which was very uncharacteristic of him considering he was practically unbeatable over hurdles with the exception on his hurdles debut second to Ferny Hollow.

Nothing came to alert as to why he was so lacklustre and he has struggled to capture the brilliance he produced when beating King George winner Bravemansgame in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham two years ago. However, his reappearance run in Navan’s Lismullen Hurdle earlier in the month was full of encouragement.

He travelled beautifully and looked back to something near his nest when he went clear but Home By The Lee reeled him in on the run-in, which came as a surprise to some and that rival re-opposes today. He probably need the run though, so there is every chance he will reverse the form here. The return to three-miles shouldn’t be an issue and he has a big chance.

He is currently available at 16/1 for the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, so if he does find improvement over this trip and goes close to winning this, you can assume his odds for that respective race at the festival will be slashed. I am interested to see how he gets on here as this race should reveal which route he goes next.

Bob OLinger - 1.5pts @ 10/3

Flooring Porter a worthy favourite

The former, however, will do well to beat last year’s runner-up and two-time Stayers’ Hurdle winner Flooring Porter on worse terms than when the pair clashed last time.

He was only fourth in that race but will come on for the run as he usually does and the the trip of 2m4f wouldn’t have seen him to best effect either.

He was behind Bob Olinger last time but was giving Henry’s charge nine-pounds and the pair collide on level terms here. Furthermore, he was runner-up in this race last year to Klassical Dream but with that rival missing this year’s race having suffered a "small setback" following his run in the Hatton's Grace at Fairyhouse, his task is made a bit easier.

He is the one to beat and his current odds of 5/1 for the Stayers’ Hurdle in March are sure to shorten if successful here. He won this race two years ago by six-lengths and if he can take a step forward from his reappearance, which is sure to happen, his rivals might have too much of a difficult task to catch him.

Ashdale has a good each-way chance 

That said, I am surprised the bookmakers have the Jessica Harrington-trained ASHDALE BOB (best price 16/1) trading at double-figure odds for this race. Yes he has been found out at the highest level previously but he was formerly a smart novice hurdler and whilst his chasing campaign didn’t go according to plan afterwards, he has put in some good efforts in defeat back in this sphere since.

He unseated on his chase debut behind Bob Olinger and while he might not have beaten the winner, he would have finished a closer second without his departure three out and that proved inconclusive as to what the outcome would have been. He was switched back to hurdles back in January last year and ran a fine race on his first go at three-miles in the Galmoy Hurdle (had Klassical Dream in behind).

The return to hurdles has clearly come to fruition as his performances have been rock-solid, as he was a head second in the Boyne Hurdle, then ran a belter off top-weight when third in the Coral Cup at the Cheltenham Festival. Plus he gave Klassical Dream a lot to think about in a Grade 1 over this trip back in April and that is high-class form in the context of this race.

He seemingly lacks the gears over the intermediate distance but there was plenty to like about the way he travelled and briefly looked dangerous on his return at Navan (Flooring Porter made his return too) only to make a mess of the third last hurdle. Despite only finishing a distant fourth in the Hatton's Grace Hurdle last time, he is better than that and the return to this trip is more suitable.

He was in front of four of today’s re-opposing rivals today on his reappearance, including the favourite Flooring Porter, and would have finished closer to the front pair without that bad mistake at the wrong time. If he can put in a fluent shift in the jumping department, it is not beyond the realms of possibility to see him produce a career-best showing here. He is majorly overpriced.

Available at generally 33/1 with most firms for the Stayers’ Hurdle, his price looks tempting for that race, as a good display here is sure to see those odds decrease. With this in mind, and knowing he has the form in the book to be seriously competitive, the seven-year-old looks great each-way value.