Saturday Dublin Racing Festival 2025 Tips: 15/8 Nap heads Owen’s selections

The fantastic Dublin Racing Festival gets underway on Saturday with a superb seven-race card running from 13:15-16:35.

Short-priced Willie Mullins favourites dominate, but there was still value to be found when looking for some Saturday Dublin Racing Festival 2025 tips.

13:15 - Joystick each-way @ 28/1

Betfred are paying four places on the Nathaniel Lacy - a Grade 1 novice hurdle over 2m6f - and I think rank outsider JOYSTICK is a good each-way bet at fair odds.

Willie Mullins' six-year-old was a decent bumper horse who debuted over hurdles in December, finishing fourth of 19 in a competitive maiden at Punchestown. He ran far too keenly, so the fact he was only six and a half lengths behind the now 136-rated James's Gate was encouraging.

Joystick then got off the mark at Naas in the new year over an inadequate two miles on heavy ground. As a son of Coastal Path, he relished conditions - as he did when winning a good bumper at Leopardstown over Christmas in 2023. It won't be desperate in Dublin on Saturday, but it'll be soft enough.

He steps markedly up in trip and is open to any amount of improvement. I've always suspected he'll prove a much better horse over staying trips.

Of course, he needs to take a big step forward. Stablemate Final Demand rates an exciting prospect - though he's seriously lacking in the experience department - and Supersundae brings a solid standard to the table.

However, it's well worth chancing he can do exactly that under Danny Mullins, who won this race under Dancing City last season as the first leg of a hat-trick on the card, at a big price and with enhanced place terms.

13:50 - Sainte Lucie @ 15/8

My Nap for the opening day of the Dublin Racing Festival is SAINTE LUCIE in the Grade 1 Juvenile Hurdle.

I've tipped Willie Mullins' filly for the Triumph Hurdle ahead of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival and I'm hopeful she can enhance her claims for that spectacle in March.

The daughter of Great Pretender was a fairly emphatic winner on Irish debut at Punchestown on New Year's Eve, pulling 11 lengths clear of her nearest rival who had the rest of the field over 13L adrift.

That form has worked out a lot better than I originally thought it would and you'd have to be taken by Mullins' post-race comments, labelling the daughter of Great Pretender as "right out of the top drawer".

He's also since admitted she was "only half ready" and expected to improve significantly for the run. 'Could be anything' comes to mind.

Stablemate Lady Vega Allen has also been subject to rave reviews, so the fact stable jockey Paul Townend has opted to ride the selection is another positive.

There's little to separate Sean O'Keefe's mount and Hello Neighbour for Gavin Cromwell and Keith Donoghue on the latter's Grade 2 victory over course and distance over Christmas, but I'm not convinced about the strength of that form.

Sony Bill and Willy De Houelle are hard to advise given both were a fair way behind the aforementioned pair the last day - while Bacchanalian, Galileo Dame and Wendrock look more like Fred Winter types that will struggle in this company.

I really fancy Sainte Lucie to get us off to a flyer on Saturday.

Get a 10% winnings boost on your win single bet if your selected horse wins this race.

16:35 - He Can't Dance @ 5/2

Willie Mullins might not have it all his own way on Saturday, for Gordon Elliott has every chance of winning the G2 Future Stars bumper with HE CAN'T DANCE.

The five-year-old son of Jukebox Jury fetched £300k at the sales in April last year and came into the current season with a reputation to match his lofty price tag, billed as one of Cullentra's top bumper horses from an early stage.

He won on rules debut in early December in the style of a good horse, giving seven pounds and a beating to Coyote Spirit. Interestingly, the latter was soon bought by Bective Stud to be trained by Elliott. Indicative of how highly they rate the selection, perhaps?

On form, there's little to separate the majority of this 10-strong field. However, the selection is for me at least the one with most scope and the one I want to be on here.

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