The Dublin Racing Festival, originally set for the weekend, has been rearranged to Monday, February 2, 2026, at Leopardstown due to weather issues. Punters can look forward to high-class action, including the Irish Gold Cup featuring Cheltenham winners like Galopin Des Champs and Gaelic Warrior. Tipsters highlight value bets in several novice and handicap races amid heavy ground conditions.
The rescheduling of the Dublin Racing Festival to February 2 brings a packed card to Leopardstown, with soft to heavy ground expected to test the field. The meeting opens with the Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle at 1:15pm, where Willie Mullins' Doctor Steinberg enters as the ante-post favorite after a strong Grade 2 win at Navan. However, tipsters see opportunities elsewhere: Jonathan Doidge from The Independent recommends Love Me Tender each-way at 8/1, noting the horse's wide-margin victory over 2m3f and a respectable third in a Grade 1 at Christmas, suggesting the step up in trip suits him better.
In the 2:25pm handicap hurdle, Staffordshire Knot stands out as the top weight, having relished recent successes at Clonmel and in a Pertemps Qualifier. Jockey Carl Millar, claiming 5lb, partners the horse again, which could prove decisive in a competitive field. Meanwhile, at 1:15pm, Santo Sospir is tipped as an each-way thief by The Sun's experts, described as a horse on the up after a Clonmel hurdle win, while Kazansky is favored by Bookies.com for his Grade 2 triumph at Limerick on Boxing Day in similar testing conditions.
The highlight is the 3:30pm Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup, pitting dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs against Mullins' Gaelic Warrior. Doidge backs Gaelic Warrior each-way at 9/2, praising his top-class performances and suggesting he could challenge the favorite if settling better, despite a King George VI Chase defeat. The Sun tips Grangeclare West for the stamina test in heavy going. Closing the card, the 4:05pm Barberstown Castle Handicap Chase sees Jasko Des Dames tipped at 12/1 by Doidge; the Henry de Bromhead-trained chaser finished fifth in last year's Grand Annual at Cheltenham and returns freshened up.
With Mullins saddling multiple runners, including eight in the Gold Cup, the festival promises pointers for Cheltenham. All tips emphasize value amid the star-studded entries.
