Final Demand put in a clinical performance in the opening race of the Dublin Racing Festival. In my opinion, he looks like one of the Cheltenham Festival bankers if they were to go down the Albert Bartlett route, as that was very impressive on just his second start over hurdles. He wasn't stopping at the finish and I think the extra yardage in the AB would be ideal.
Rizzel's tips
Mitbaahy 7/2 – Lingfield 2.37
Amongst the quality Irish Graded jumps racing we have a good 6f sprint at Lingfield which is a Listed Race named after the fantastic AW sprinter Kachy. With the amount of pace on paper in this race, I thought Mitbaahy was worth a shot, especially with Jamie Spencer getting out of bed to take the ride on this horse.
This race could be won by any of the horses who line up, if it was run five times, it probably would be won by a different horse each time, it's that competitive. However, with Marshman and Diligent Harry likely to go from the front, and even Misty Grey likely to be prominent, it looks like a strong pace is on the cards so I wanted to be on a closer, and the one I've sided with is Mitbaahy.
This horse has always had tonnes of ability, but consistency has always been a problem. This is his first run in 204 days, but also his first run on the AW which makes it an even bigger risk and three of the four rivals are race fit and are all proven on the artificial surface. I'm confident of a big run as Jamie Spencer hasn't been on a racetrack since Dundalk before Christmas, and with him being in the twilight stage of his career he picks and chooses when to ride, so with him returning for this race speaks volumes to me. On all known form, my selection has the best form of last year by winning a Grade 2 at the Curragh, but we haven't seen that version since. Maybe, the long layoff over the autumn and into the winter will have freshened him up, as if he was to return to form, this race is very easily winnable for a horse of his quality.
Magna Sam 9/1 EW (4pl) – Musselburgh 2.25
In terms of a betting perspective, the regional National races probably aren't the best place to place a bet, but I am a sucker for them as I think you can find value and make the most of the enhanced place terms. In these types of races, the market tends to focus on the unexposed horses who aren't always proven at the trip, which is probably the right way to go, but for this race, I thought Magna Sam had been laid out for this for quite a while.
Magna Sam has been lightly raced for the majority of his career, but when he gets it right, he is a very dangerous horse to underestimate when getting his conditions. He won this race off a 6lb higher mark in 2023 but hasn't fired since that race. However, he returned to action in December at Doncaster and put in a performance that left me thinking there is fight in the old lad. He finished 3rd, not too far away from the winner, and with that run under his belt for an in-form yard, today's race looks like a decent opportunity for him to prove he is well-handicapped.
He gets in this race off a lovely racing weight of 10st 2lbs and the ground has started to dry out at the right time for him, which is essential for his chances.
