MOST eyes will be on Leopardstown today of course, the first day of the Dublin Racing Festival, with all the intrigue that goes with that and four Grade 1 races. There is one Grade 1 race at Sandown too, the Virgin Bet Scilly Isles Chase, a race that Gordon Elliott won last year with Gerri Colombe, who proved that two and a half miles on good to soft ground at a park track was no problem at all.

Today’s test might be a sharper test than ideal for favourite Hermes Allen, mind you. Paul Nicholls’ horse stayed on strongly to win the Hyde Novices’ Hurdle and the Challow Hurdle last season, but he came up short in the Ballymore Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, and he could only finish third behind Irish Point and Kateira in the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle over two and a half miles at Aintree in April.

He did look good on his chasing bow at Newbury’s Coral Gold Cup meeting in early December in winning the Grade 2 Berkshire Chase over two and a half miles, and he put up a fine effort last time in the Kauto Star Chase at Kempton on St Stephen’s Day to finish second to Il Est Francais, who could be seriously good.

That was over three miles though, he does stay well, and two and a half miles around Sandown on ground that is good, good to soft in places, may not play to his strengths. He may be vulnerable today and, at a short price, it may be worthwhile taking him on.

Equilibrium

By contrast, it is probable that Djelo will be competing today in conditions that are close to optimal. Venetia Williams’ horse won a two-mile handicap chase at Newbury on Coral Gold Cup weekend, just over an hour before Hermes Allen won the Berkshire Chase. He did well to win that day too, he made a fairly significant mistake at the cross fence, but he quickly recovered his equilibrium and he kept on well to win nicely.

He stepped up to two miles and three furlongs next time for a Grade 2 chase at Ascot, and he duly won that nicely, making all the running and winning as easily as he liked. And you can just put a line through his ‘run’ at Lingfield last time, when he was badly hampered at the first fence and came down.

There is plenty of potential pace in the race, Nickle Back likes to go forward, Le Patron likes to go forward, Colonel Harry can be keen, but Djelo doesn’t have to lead. If the pace is strong, you could see Charlie Deutsch just sitting in behind the leaders and getting Djelo into his jumping rhythm. He is rated the equal of Hermes Allen, and two and a half miles on good to soft ground around Sandown should suit him well.

Progressive

Some 35 minutes later, Transmission could be the answer to the Virgin Bet Heroes Handicap Hurdle. Second behind Inthepocket in a maiden hurdle at Wexford when he was with Colm Murphy, the Doyen gelding has been nicely progressive this season for Neil Mulholland and in cheekpieces, and he put up a career-best performance in getting off the mark over hurdles at Plumpton last time.

Rider Joe Anderson stole the show that day, he did astonishingly well to keep the partnership intact when Transmission made a mistake at the sixth flight, and he did even better to smuggle him back into a position from which he could win the race.

The rider wasn’t able to get his right foot back into his right iron until they passed the winning post with a circuit to go, the horse must have expended plenty of energy unnecessarily in the interim period, so it was to his immense credit that he had enough energy in reserve to come away from Hititi and Ramo from the second last flight.

Ramo came out next time and went down by just a neck to Nurse Susan in a handicap hurdle at Lingfield two weeks ago, while fourth-placed Annual Invictus won the Great Yorkshire Chase at Doncaster last Saturday.

A 6lb hike for Transmission was not overly harsh, he could still be a well-handicapped horse on a mark of 125. Out of a mare who won over two miles and five furlongs, he stays well and, now that he has that win over hurdles on the board, he could go forward again.

Ed Keeper is a big danger, he looked set for victory at Cheltenham last time before he made a mistake at the final flight, but, at a bigger price, Transmission is the bet.