THE addition of a public holiday on Monday week should help Leopardstown attract even bigger attendance numbers for the two-day Dublin Racing Festival next weekend. Last year’s meeting drew a record crowd of 34,591 over Saturday and Sunday, up by almost 10,000 on the previous year.

Hospitality and premium level access tickets for the meeting has long since been sold out. General admission tickets are €45 on the day or €40 if bought in advance online. A two-day ticket is €60 online.

There are eight Grade 1 races over the two days, headed by the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup on Saturday and the Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle on Sunday. Total prize money is €2 million.

Willie Mullins has the early favourite for three of the Grade 1 races on Saturday - Galopin Des Champs (Irish Gold Cup), Predators Gold (Nathaniel Lacy Novice Hurdle, 2m) and Storm Heart (McCann Fitzgerald Spring Juvenile Hurdle). Barry Connell’s Marine Nationale heads the ante-post market for the Goffs Irish Arkle on the same card.

Team Mullins will be even harder to beat in Sunday’s top races. State Man and El Fabiolo are odds-on favourites for the Irish Champion Hurdle and Ladbrokes Dublin Chase respectively. Stable companions Fact To File and Grangeclare West head the market for the Ladbrokes Novice Chase (2m 5f) and the Mullins-trained Ballyburn is the clear market-leader for the Tattersalls Ireland 50th Derby Sale Novice Hurdle (2m).

Supporting races

Last year’s winner A Dream To Share is an intriguing inclusion in Saturday’s Grade 2 Donohue Marquees Future Stars INH Flat Race. All but one of the 17 entries for that race are previous winners but none come close to matching the unbeaten record of John and Thomas Kiely’s five-time scorer A Dream To Share. He added to success in this race with wins at the Cheltenham and Punchestown Festivals and is an intended runner in the race once again after connections ruled out a hurdling campaign this season. He is bidding to become the first horse to win six bumper races.

Gordon Elliott has made six entries, headed by his Leopardstown Christmas Festival winner Jalon D’Oudairies and Romeo Coolio. Willie Mullins has six entries of his own and he can count Joystick, another successful at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival, and the Galway festival winner You Oughta Know among them, while Jeroboam Machin made a fine start at Fairyhouse in December and could represent trainer Emmet Mullins.

Alan King has entered his impressive Doncaster winner Avakate for the Grade 2 Coolmore NH Sires Hurricane Lane Mares INH Flat Race on Sunday. On the mark for trainer Andy Slattery at Roscommon in July of last year, she is one of 17 early entries.

The three-time winner Aurora Vega and Naas debut winner Fleur Au Fusil are among the Willie Mullins team with Jonathan Sweeney’s Barnahash Primrose and the John and Thomas Kiely-trained Ma Belle Etoile, both Limerick winners, also included.

Successful at Down Royal on St Stephen’s Day, Mongibello has been entered by Stuart Crawford who won this race with Lily Du Berlais two years ago.

THROUGH the weekend, there will be a host of Irish music and culture, with musicians from Clondalkin-based Irish cultural centre Áras Chrónáin, Irish dancing music and performances from Sin A Deir Sí, and Dublin Gospel Choir.

Six Nations championship matches between England and Italy, and Wales versus Scotland, will be screened on TVs.

Irish trad rock bands Rake The Ashes and Pogueology will play after racing in the marquee. The Racing Hall will be transformed into an after-party club with D.J. Lance West playing classic dancefloor hits until 7.30pm on both days.