There’s some big clashes for Romeo Coolio in the reinstated Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Chase for 2025 on the opening day of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival. Gordon Elliott’s charge drops back in trip to two miles and a furlong for the Boxing Day / St Stephen’s Day feature contest at the South Dublin track.
Romeo Coolio, placed during the last two Cheltenham Festival schedules in the Champion Bumper and Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, has already taken even higher rank over fences. He’s on a hat-trick but down in trip following consecutive victories at two-and-a-half miles from Down Royal and the highest level in Fairyhouse’s Drinmore.
Successful at this meeting 12 months ago over the minimum distance in the Future Champions Novice Hurdle, Romeo Coolio is an odds-on shot to get away with three fewer furlongs in the Racing Post Novice Chase of 2025. It has been a case of the further he travels, the better he looks in his steeplechasing career so far.
Apparently avoiding a clash with Final Demand in the Faugheen at Limerick 48 hours later, Romeo Coolio seeks successive victories at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival. In ducking one Willie Mullins horse with Cheltenham hopes, however, he encounters others. His head-to-head hurdling record against chasing maiden Salvator Mundi reads 1-1.
While Romeo Coolio finished ahead of the Moscow Flyer winner in the Supreme, Salvator Mundi gained revenged around Aintree. Seven lengths separated the pair on the Mildmay Course at the Merseyside venue. This arguably bears grater similarity to Leopardstown than Cheltenham. Romeo Coolio has taken to fences well, whereas Salvator Mundi suffered defeat on his bow in this sphere when a 1/7 favourite.
July Flower Could Give Favourite Most to Think About
There’s another Mullins mount in the Racing Post Novice Chase line-up this year in Westport Cove. He has more experience of the discipline, landing three of his last four starts. A gutsy win in the Grade 2 Craddockstown Novice Chase took his form to a new level, but Westport Cove previously couldn’t beat stable companion Gold Dancer. That one was firmly put in his place by Romeo Coolio during the Drinmore.
On a form line through Gold Dancer from the Galway Festival, then, Elliott should at least have the number of one of Mullins horses. How a third encounter between Romeo Coolio and Salvator Mundi turns out, however, is less clear cut. If the Cheltenham bookies have it right, then the former is the one they all have to beat. Salvator Mundi could easily step forward for his reappearance and chase debut, though.
Receiving weight from all but one in the nine-horse field is July Flower. Her trainer Henry De Bromhead has landed the Racing Post Novice Chase twice before. While she has some way to go reach the heights achieved by 2009 scorer Sizing Europe, July Flower is a smart mare that won at this meeting last season. That came in a Grade 3 Mares Hurdle on her Irish bow.
While July Flower didn’t deliver at the spring festivals, the switch to fences has brought about improvement. After landing a mares only beginners chase around Limerick, she followed-up in the Grade 2 Arkle Trial at Cheltenham races during the November Meeting. Versatile as regards trip, July Flower now steps back up in distance at a track where she produced the goods. The De Bromhead stable form is a slight concern, but Romeo Coolio isn’t the only hat-trick seeker here.
Irish Panther Form Franked Ahead of Yet Another Leopardstown Run
July Flower’s four-length defeat of Kala Conti here 12 months ago also reads well. That’s because the runner-up has come out and landed both of her own steeplechase outings include a Grade 2 around Cork where she readily accounted for County Hurdle heroine Kargese with Break My Soul in fourth Jetara back in third landed her next start (at that level) and the fourth home has a couple of Listed races on her CV.
Eddie & Patrick Harty’s eight-year-old Irish Panther has found form this autumn, meanwhile, after also running well at Leopardstown over Christmas before. He made his Rules debut in the extended two-and-a-half miles bumper won by Fact To File here in 2022, then hit the frame in a novices’ handicap hurdle last season behind re-opposing winner Shraheen.
Placed at the Dublin Racing and Punchestown Festivals as well, Irish Panther finally got his head in front in a Clonmel maiden hurdle on reappearance before he went chasing. He then landed his beginners event at Naas from two horses who have come out and won since. Chances are Irish Panther is better over fences than his hurdling mark of 128.
That’s because those in-behind him from Naas have ratings in the high 130s. Connections have every right to try their luck in the Racing Post Novice Chase of 2025 off the back of his form receiving these boosts. Only one horse of Irish Panther’s age has landed this since 1996, however, but he’s battle-hardened from all those runs in big handicaps.
Nurburgring, who landed the Galway Hurdle in 2024, is still eligible for races like this one this season. Getting a handle on where’s at is difficult, however, as Joseph O’Brien runs him over all different types of trip across both codes. Pat Fahy runner He’s Gorgeous completes the line-up.
Racing Post Novice Chase 2025 Shortlist & Verdict
DroppingĀ Romeo Coolio back in distance isn’t necessarily a plus. There isn’t a race for him on the Cheltenham race cards at the Festival now, so trying to shoehorn him in as an Arkle type could be a mistake. Everything about his Drinmore performance screamed going back at Easter for the Fairyhouse Gold Cup.
Off joint-bottom weight, Romeo Coolio may have it all to do to defeatĀ JULY FLOWER here. She dropped back to two miles very nicely in the Arkle and gets that handy 7lb sex allowance. There are question marks over both Mullins mountsĀ Salvator Mundi andĀ Westport Cove, meanwhile, soĀ Irish Panther could hit the frame at Leopardstown yet again.
