Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle |
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| Grade 1, Leopardstown 13:47 €100,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m, Class 1  |
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1 Skylight Hustle 3/1F
2
Carrigmoornaspruce 12/1
3
Love Me Tender 4/1
8 ran Distances: 5l, 3½l, 2½l
Time: 3m 54.60s (slow by 4.60s)
More drama at @LeopardstownRC 😮
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) December 27, 2025
Sam Ewing and Joseph O'Brien are denied a remarkable Grade 1 double as Skylight Hustle has the answers in the @paddypower Future Champions Novice Hurdle @gelliott_racing pic.twitter.com/9gzd3DrBKV
Skylight Hustle emerged victorious from a dramatic renewal, though fortune played its part when the race turned on its head at the final flight.
Gordon Elliott’s charge had travelled smoothly into contention and was moving with purpose, but appeared set to settle for second when Joseph O’Brien’s Talk The Talk produced a sharp turn of foot and held a half-length advantage jumping the last. With Sam Ewing on the cusp of collecting a second Grade One on the card as deputy for the concussed J J Slevin, the decisive moment came at the final hurdle.
Talk The Talk landed steeply, lost his balance and came down, leaving Skylight Hustle, the 3-1 favourite, to stride on and score by five lengths from Carrigmoornaspruce.
“He travelled like a dream the whole way and jumped like a buck,” said Elliott.
“I thought looking at it live that we were beat, but when I looked at the re-run, I wasn’t sure (with) the way my lad galloped from the last to the line.
“Jack said when he came in ‘I can’t guarantee I would have won but I definitely wasn’t beat’. He said he really liked the way he went from the last to the line.
“It happened to us yesterday (when El Cairos fell when in front at the last) but that’s why it’s called jump racing.
“He’s a good horse and I think he’ll stay further as well.
“I’d imagine he’ll come back here for the Dublin Racing Festival.”
Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle
2m , Race Value: €100,000 guaranteed, Grade 1
8 ran
Going: Yielding, Good to Yielding in places
POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 Skylight Hustle 5 11-12 Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy 3/1F
2 5 Carrigmoornaspruce 5 11-5 Declan Queally Mr D L Queally 12/1
3 3½ Love Me Tender 4 11-12 W P Mullins Mark Walsh 4/1
4 2½ Le Divin Enfant 4 11-12 W P Mullins Paul Townend 13/2
5 11 The Passing Wife 6 11-12 Gavin Cromwell Keith Donoghue 14/1
6 1¼ Mister Pessimistic 4 11-12 Henry De Bromhead Darragh O'Keeffe 16/1
7 435-11 Koktail Brut 5 11-12 Gordon Elliott Danny Gilligan 4/1
FELL
Talk The Talk 4 11-12 Joseph O'Brien J J Slevin 9/2
