Lucky 15 Tips: Cape Cod the catch of the day at Leopardstown

The Aintree Festival concluded with the Grand National card on Saturday, but the top-class racing continues on Sunday, with an excellent Flat card over in Ireland. Leopardstown hosts a fantastic meeting with three Group 3s to look forward to and we are set to see the return of the ante-post Derby favourite Pierre Bonnard.

Musselburgh, Wincanton, Down Royal and Ffos Las also provide fixtures across the afternoon. Below are my Lucky 15 Tips, in which I have selected four of their strongest fancies to follow; amongst them is an interesting Ballydoyle handicap debutant.

15:55 Leopardstown - Dorset @ 11/2

DORSET gets on well with Jack Cleary and he managed to get the better of stablemate and subsequent Group 2 winner Benvenuto Cellini in a maiden at the Curragh in June.

He was beaten in a couple of Group races after that, but returned to winning ways in a valuable sales race in September, where he kept on well to score by just over a length.

Contesting the Group 2 Killavullan Stakes over course and distance on his final start at two, he won by a narrow margin and the front two were clear of the rest.

That's amongst the best form on offer here, despite the fact that Ryan Moore has opted to ride Flushing Meadows.

16:25 Leopardstown - True Love @ 13/8

The ratings suggest that TRUE LOVE should be very hard to beat here, as the rest of the field have plenty to find. She won three times last season and was a comfortable winner of the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot, despite being a maiden at the time.

Aidan O'Brien's filly then bolted up in the Railway Stakes at the Curragh. Puerto Rico was five lengths behind in second on that occasion and he went on to win two Group 1s.

Earning her first top-level success in the Cheveley Park at Newmarket in September, things didn't quite go to plan when dropped back in trip at the Breeders' Cup, but a return to winning ways could well be on the cards here.

16:55 Leopardstown - Pierre Bonnard @ 4/5

The market suggests that PIERRE BONNARD is Aidan O'Brien's best chance of landing a record-extending 12th success in Britain's biggest Flat race. It's worth noting that the form book also supports that theory and he's all but guaranteed to stay 1m4f.

Progressive towards the back end of last season, he was a smooth winner of the Group 3 Zetland Stakes at Newmarket in October and clearly appreciated the 1m2f trip.

Victorious in a Group 1 contest over the same trip at Saint Cloud after that, the rest of the field need to find plenty in order to match his form and he shapes as if he's going to become a top three-year-old in the middle-distance division.

17:25 Leopardstown - Cape Cod @ 7/2

It could be an excellent afternoon at Leopardstown for Aidan O'Brien and he runs the improving CAPE COD in the concluding 1m2f handicap.

Lightly raced so far, he has progressed with each run and managed to get off the mark in a maiden over a mile at Naas in October and there should be more to come.

An opening mark of 92 shouldn't be beyond him and his pedigree suggests that middle-distance trips can bring out the best in him as a three-year-old.

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