WILLIE Mullins has the ante-post favourites for five of the six Grade 1 races at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival, entries for which were published this week.

Stable companions Galopin Des Champs, State Man, Impaire Et Passe, Salvator Mundi and Gaelic Warrior are the market leaders for each of the Grade 1 races they are due to contest at Leopardstown later this month. The only feature event which does not have a Mullins-trained favourite is the three-mile Christmas Hurdle.

The first three home from the John Durkan Chase at Punchestown last month all feature in the Savills Chase which could again be the race of the meeting.

A rematch between Fact To File, Galopin Des Champs and Spillane’s Tower would be a Christmas cracker but it’s possible that Fact To File could be rerouted to Kempton and supplemented for the King George VI Chase, which looks at the mercy of any Irish challengers.

It was in last year’s Savills Chase where Galopin Des Champs produced one of the greatest jumping displays of the modern era when beating Gerri Colombe by a staggering 23 lengths and both horses look set to lock horns again on December 28th.

On the same day the Leopardstown Christmas Hurdle could see Stayers’ Hurdle hero Teahupoo attempt to atone for his recent defeat by Lossiemouth. The opposition is likely to include former winner Home By The Lee and Bob Olinger, first and second in a Navan Grade 2 race recently.

Following a programming reshuffle, the sole Grade 1 race at Leopardstown on St Stephen’s Day will be the Racing Post Long Distance Novice Chase over three miles.

While Mullins has the early favourite in Impaire Et Passe, Gordon Elliott has a strong hand with the likes of Better Days Ahead, Croke Park and Stellar Story among his 12 entries.

Gaelic Warrior and Ferny Hollow head the Mullins team for the Paddy Power Rewards Club Chase over an extended two miles on December 27th. The yard’s Energumene, who runs at Cork on Sunday, is likely to skip this meeting but this year’s surprise Champion Chase winner Captain Guinness is expected to take his chance.

Not seen in public since winning a Tipperary maiden hurdle by 62 lengths in May, Salvator Mundi is ante-post favourite for the 2025 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and his name is among the 30 entries for the Grade 1 Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle on day two of the Leopardstown meeting.

The December Hurdle could be a corker as last year’s winner State Man, his recent Morgiana Hurdle conqueror Brighterdaysahead and last Sunday’s imperious Hatton’s Grace Hurdle heroine Lossiemouth have all been entered.

CROWD numbers at the Dublin Racing Festival [DRF] in February will be capped at 18,500 per day in a bid to ensure the racegoer experience is not compromised by queues and pressure on facilities.

As a result the two-day meeting is ‘ticket-only’ and there will be no admission for ‘walk-ups’ on the day if the 18,500 tickets have been sold in advance. This year the Saturday of DRF attracted 20,000 people.

Leopardstown CEO Tim Husbands told The Irish Field: “The DRF was really successful last year and we took time to reflect on the customer feedback. We had 20,000 here on the opening day this year and we felt that some parts of the enclosures were under a bit too much pressure. It would be easier to control if we knew our numbers in advance and it would improve the customer experience.”

Husbands added: “The success of the DRF is down to the high quality of the racing on offer. Across the two days, there are eight Grade 1 races with the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup and the Irish Champion Hurdle among them. We are delighted that the Dublin Racing Festival attracts huge numbers of racegoers from Britain and this year alone, 38% of all attendees travelled from across the Irish Sea.

“Today’s announcement comes as a direct result of feedback that we have received from racegoers, and those attending in February, and at our upcoming Christmas Festival, will enjoy a greater number of food offerings and a significant increase in the number of toilet facilities.

“Bar capacity in the festival marquee area has increased by 70%, and the marquee itself has increased by 50% in size. Our Skippio Fast Track bars will have an increased presence around the marquee to reduce waiting times.”

Irish folk music band Wolfhound will play after racing on Saturday, and U2 tribute act Rattle and Hum on Sunday. A DJ will play on both days in the racing hall.