Leopardstown Tips: Fastorslow to win red-hot Savills Chase

Thursday’s card at Leopardstown features two Grade 1s – including arguably the race of the season so far – and below is a selection for both.

13:50 – Home By The Lee @ 6/4

The first of the two Grade Ones is the Jack de Bromhead Christmas Hurdle, which the betting suggests is a match between Home By The Lee and Irish Point.

I’m a big fan of the latter for the in-form Gordon Elliott, but this is easily his toughest assignment to date and he encounters truly heavy ground on his first attempt over three miles. It’s a fair ask.

Home By The Lee, on the other hand, is proven under such circumstances and gets my vote.

Joseph Patrick O’Brien’s eight-year-old, who warmed up for this with a solid third over an inadequate trip in the G2 Lismullen Hurdle at Navan last month, is a thorough stayer who should prove a tough nut to crack.

14:25 – Fastorslow @ 3/1

Then, just over half-an-hour later, we’ve got a stunning renewal of the Savills Chase to enjoy.

It’s essentially a Gold Cup rehearsal, with the three at the top of the market – namely Galopin Des Champs, Gerri Colombe and Fastorslow – occupying the same spots in the betting for the big one in March.

There’s little to separate the trio, but at current prices I side with Fastorslow.

Martin Brassil’s seven-year-old was a surprise winner of the Punchestown Gold Cup back in April, beating the Cheltenham 1-2 in Galopin Des Champs and Bravemansgame, and proved it was no fluke when landing the John Durkan last month.

I’m expecting a big amount of improvement here, which should see him confirm form with Galopin Des Champs for the third run in a row.

Gerri Colombe will love conditions and is unlucky not to be unbeaten throughout his career, but this is a significantly better race than anything he’s contested to date and I can see him finding one or two too good.

To be frank, I wouldn’t put anyone off most of these, but Fastorslow is still extremely unexposed (he’s only had five runs over fences and two at the trip) and continues to be overpriced, presumably due to less-fancy connections.