Racing from Leopardstown

1.00pm RTÉ 2

There was something strange in the air last month.

Apart from the usual rumours (and not to mention that “other thing”), little birds were wondering if the wind hadn’t changed. Took a wrong turn around the Siberian Peninsula, they tweeted, leaving Jack Frost high and dry in Vladivostok!

After an extended Indian summer and almost two years of “that other thing”, anything is possible in uncertain times. So The Iceman came with the wind from the east to scotch further rumours in Scotland. A big freeze would have been the last thing we needed to lock us up this Christmas. But, hopefully, we’ll have the all-clear on every front by now.

O to the races, too, where record attendances might well be the case at Leopardstown and Limerick on this St Stephen’s Day.

Today’s Leopardstown card features the Racing Post Trophy, in which Willie Mullins’ Appreciate It looks a snip, especially if Bob Olinger heads for the three-mile novice later in the week. Gordon Elliott’s, Fil Dor, is selected for the Juvenile Hurdle earlier on the programme.

My rst cousin, Joe Fahy, has a horse trained by his rst cousin, Pat Fahy who, unfortunately, is unrelated to me. Mister Fogpatches is the delightfully-named grey, expected to run a big race in Monday’s ercelycompetitive Paddy Power Handicap Chase (2.55). From a huge eld, this hack rates Top Moon and Smoking Gun as the dangers. Cousin Joe, however, is still listing his!

On the same afternoon, Kilcruit is the word for the Future Champions Novices Hurdle.

Day 3: Ronald Pump ew ( Christmas Hurdle) / A Plus Tard (Savills Chase)

Day 4: Bob Olinger / French Dynamite (1.45) Sharjah (2.20) Nap of the meeting: Glan

Blue in the face after hearing White Christmas, there may be a change in the air tonight: The Foggy Dew, perhaps?