Saturday Racing Tips from Steve Ryder

This looks a competitive Grade 1 to open the card and preference goes to the UK raider WEVEALLBEENCAUGHT (best priced at 9/2) for Nigel and Sam Twiston-Davies. The six-year-old won a Newbury bumper on his debut under rules before finishing 3rd behind future Grade 1 Challow Hurdle winner Hermes Allen on his hurdling debut when pitched into Grade 2 company. He defeated subsequent Grade 2 Classic Novices’ Hurdle winner Rock My Way in a maiden hurdle last time at Cheltenham over 2m4f and this PTP winner should be well suited by this step up in trip.

Many of the key contenders will be using this as a stepping stone to either the Ballymore or Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival but Nigel Twiston-Davies has been on record as saying ‘This is his Cheltenham’ so you can be sure he is cherry ripe for this race and I think he is overpriced at current odds.

Willie Mullins has won this race for the previous two seasons with Energumene and Blue Lord and he looks to hold strong claims of completing a hat-trick of wins this year with the likes of DYSART DYNAMO (best priced at 7/2), Appreciate It, El Fabiolo, Saint Roi and Flame Bearer all declared for the race. Paul Townend has chosen to ride Appreciate It but I much prefer the chances of Dysart Dynamo who made the perfect start over fences over this course and distance at Christmas. The seven-year-old was an easy winner of two bumpers before winning a Cork maiden hurdle by 19 lengths on his reappearance last season. He went on to win the Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle by 19 lengths on his next start before falling in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle behind Constitution Hill.

Dysart Dynamo can be excused his below par effort at Punchestown as he was ‘clinically abnormal’ and he put that well behind him when winning by 28 lengths on his chasing debut. Danny Mullins is a great front running jockey and I expect him make all in this race.

The Joseph O’Brien trained A WAVE OF SEA (NAP) (best priced at 4/1) has won at the Dublin Racing Festival for the previous three seasons and I feel he holds strong claims of adding another victory in this race. The seven-year-old won the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle under Barry Geraghty in 2020 before winning this race off a mark of 133 in 2021. He repeated that victory by 1 ½ lengths last year off a mark of 142 and he has now dropped down to a favourable mark off 144 following some eyecatching runs so far this season.

This race is over a distance of 2m1f so the fact he has run four times over 3 miles so far this season is interesting and he has dropped down from a mark of 149 to 144 as a result. He has been ridden by Simon Torrens claiming 5lbs and Shane Fitzgerald claiming 5lbs so the booking of Aidan Kelly claiming 7lbs shouldn’t be seen as a negative and he looks sure to run well with up to five places available.