Lexus Chase Leopardstown Betting Tips

With the small field and testing conditions scenario that he relishes, Beef Or Salmon looks poised to land the Lexus Chase for the third successive year at Leopardstown on December 28, and at 2/1 with bet365 he makes plenty of appeal from a value perspective.

Michael Hourigan’s stable star has beaten War Of Attrition on each of the three occasions that they have locked horns in Ireland, and during the winter period. The latter has come out on top on two occasions, in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March of this year and then in the Punchestown-staged Irish equivalent a month later.

This gives credence to my notion that War Of Attrition is a better horse in the spring. Don’t get me wrong, the seven-year-old handles plenty of give in the ground, but he’s a far more effective horse on genuine good ground, as his victories at the aforementioned Festivals last season suggest.

Mouse Morris’ charge was beaten a neck by Beef Or Salmon in a thrilling finish to the James Nicholson Wine Merchant Champion Chase at Down Royal last month and then went onto again fill the runners-up spot at Punchestown where he found In Compliance too strong in the John Durkan Memorial Chase.

The latter race was over an inadequate trip of two and a half miles so War Of Attrition lost no caste in defeat, despite the fact that he was readily outpointed by the winner. However, although that was his third outing of the campaign, he still didn’t appear to be firing on all cylinders, and chances are he’ll still be a shade ring-rusty on Thursday.

Beef Or Salmon was given a hiding when beaten 17 lengths by Kauto Star in the Betfair Chase on his penultimate start, but it’s clear that he isn’t the same horse when racing outside of Ireland and, in any case, Kauto Star looks a potential world beater so time may prove that running that horse to 17 lengths was no mean feat.

Subsequently, the ten-year-old had a spin over hurdles at Fairyhouse where, despite the two-mile-two-furlong trip being plenty sharp enough, he absolutely laughed at some in-form rivals. All the evidence suggests that Beef Or Salmon is as good as ever this season and I really cannot envisage him being tuned over in this Grade 1 chase.

French raider L’ami, who was a length adrift of Beef Or Salmon in the Betfair Chase, and Robert Alner’s charge, The Listener, both merit respect, and at odds of 6/1 and 8/1 respectively they look good potential each-way value, assuming all eight of the current entries go to post, so that there are three place terms available.

However, neither rate real threats to Beef Or Salmon in his own backyard, while Southern Vic ran a cracking race over a trip well short of his best when outgunned by Celestial Wave at Navan last time out, and will be much more at home back over three miles. But, along with former smart hurdler Back In Front, he too looks set to be involved in a race for the places.