Dublin Chase Tips: Take on the Favourites with this O'Brien runner

Eight horses have been declared for the 2025 Dublin Chase at Leopardstown and, with an odds-on favourite in the form of Gaelic Warrior, this race looks perfect for each-way players. Here we preview the race and provide our best bet.

The Dublin Chase is a Grade 1 race over 2 miles 1 furlong and is one of the feature events on the second day of the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown.

Five of the eight runners contested the Grade 1 Paddy's Rewards Club Chase at the same course on the 27th December - a race which was won by the 28/1 outsider Solness, ridden by JJ Slevin and trained by Joseph O'Brien.

It was a masterful piece of training from O'Brien having supplemented the horse for €12,500 and an equally impressive ride from Slevin who made all and was never really threatened, coming home to win by 3 and 3/4 lengths.

Gaelic Warrior came in second to the disappointment of backers of the 13/8 favourite with Marine Nationale in third. Both are set to reoppose in the Dublin Chase along with Captain Guinness (5th that day) and Gentleman De Mee (7th).

Given that it was his first run of the season, it's fair to presume that Gaelic Warrior will be in much better shape for this assignment but, at 8/11 with BetMGM, he is priced very much accordingly. And with the horse now having finished as runner up in his last two runs since winning the Arkle at Cheltenham (was beaten at 1/3f at the Punchestown Festival in May) he doesn't look like one to rely too heavily on.

The same could be said for the other Willie Mullins runner, El Fabiolo, who went off the 2/9 favourite to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham but jumped badly and was pulled up before the race had really got going. He again jumped poorly on his reappearance at Sandown - going down by 4 lengths to Jonbon - and hasn't been seen since with Mullins having reported him to have not been himself at home. He is a 13/2 chance with BetMGM to win on Sunday - a price that could look massive if he's back to his best. But that is a very big "if".  

The other major player at the top of the market is Marine Nationale for trainer Barry Connell. The winner of the Supreme Novices Hurdle in 2023, he has not quite hit the same heights over fences - twice failing at odds-on last year before his third place finish in the aforementioned Paddy's Rewards Club Chase in December. At 4/1 he looks skinny enough for a horse that only has one victory over fences.

Having discounted those at the top of the market, attention comes back to the Joseph O'Brien runner Solness who is a 7/1 chance with BetMGM. If all eight runners go to post, this looks an appealing each-way price with three places being paid.

For a 7-year-old he's a really experienced campaigner with 16 runs over fences including five wins and five places. Whilst he doesn't possess the ability of some of his more illustrious rivals here, he looks well placed to capitalise on any chinks in their armour.