2:12 Leopardstown
This 1m1f maiden at Leopardstown on good ground features a field of 15 three-year-olds and upwards, with many newcomers and lightly raced types making up the numbers. The KTB Fit ratings are tightly bunched at the top, headed by Maybe Art on 58, with several others in the mid-50s and 40s, underlining the open nature of the contest and the reliance on pedigree and yard form for the unexposed runners. Trainer Cian Hughes stands out with a 25% strike rate at the track from a small sample, while Dermot Weld's strong record here also demands respect.
How the race shapes up
The pace shape points to a lone leader with high confidence, suggesting one horse will secure an uncontested lead that could prove difficult for closers to reel in over this trip. King Of Sparta is the most obvious front-runner from his run-style, though the wide draw in stall 13 may complicate his task, while Vico Road can race prominently from a more favourable berth. Most of the principals, including Sunatia, Will You Stop and Ginnos Oasis, prefer to be held up and produce their effort late, so the key question is whether any of them can bridge the gap to an unchallenged leader on this stiff Leopardstown track.
The KTB Fit ranking
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1Maybe Art KTB Selection58/100
Maybe Art lines up for his first start, so there is little known form on which to base an assessment and the data is too thin for firm conclusions. Pedigree and sales background therefore supply the main pointers, and the market will tell its own story in a field of this size. Trainer Cian Hughes brings a 25% strike rate at Leopardstown from eight runs, which is a notable positive, though the trainer-jockey combination shows 0/5. Drawn in stall one, he has the perfect position to track the expected uncontested leader if connections so choose.
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2Ginnos Oasis56/100
Ginnos Oasis has had just one run in the last year, leaving any assessment cautious because of the low data confidence. He steps up in trip today, which poses a fresh question of a horse whose ability remains largely unknown. The same yard as the selection has that strong 25% strike rate at Leopardstown from eight runs, though the jockey's 6% strike rate at the track from a large sample is more modest. Usually held up and producing his effort late, he will need the leader to come back to him if the pace shape unfolds as expected.
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3Sunatia56/100
Sunatia has shown steady improvement and has been placed in all three starts since her debut, including twice at this trip, and she holds an official rating of 77. She looks a fair performer on the balance of her form and ratings, with recent form figures of 0222 underlining her consistency. The Dermot Weld yard has a solid 17% strike rate at Leopardstown from a huge sample of 3175 runs, and Chris Hayes is a familiar partner. Usually held up with high confidence, she will be coming from off the pace in a race where the leader may get an easy time of it.
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4Man Of Property50/100
Man Of Property makes his debut with no racecourse experience, so his pedigree and sales background are the only available pointers and the low data confidence means any firm view would be guesswork. The T G McCourt yard has a modest 5% strike rate at Leopardstown from 441 runs, though the 7lb claimer brings an 8% strike rate at the track from a small sample. By Sea The Stars, he is bred to relish the trip and conditions. Drawn in stall 11, he has a wide enough berth but could slot in behind the expected lone leader.
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5Rhapsodic48/100
Rhapsodic is another newcomer with no racecourse experience, so the assessment rests on pedigree and sales background. The Dermot Weld yard again has that solid 17% strike rate at Leopardstown from a huge sample, and this time it is partnered by Colin Keane, whose 14% strike rate at the track from 901 rides is useful. By Study Of Man, he should handle the ground. Drawn in stall six, he is well placed to track the pace and could be given an easy ride into the straight.
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6Winter Adventure46/100
Winter Adventure is a newcomer with no racecourse experience, so the assessment rests entirely on pedigree and sales background with low data confidence. Noel Meade has a solid 10% strike rate at Leopardstown from a huge sample of 1712 runs, though the yard's A/E of 0.8 at the track adds a note of caution.
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7Will You Stop45/100
Will You Stop is a fair performer who has shown consistent placed form at this trip, including a recent effort over 1m1f, though his recent form figures of 534874 suggest he finds a bit less than expected and is not obviously progressive. The yard has a 7% strike rate at Leopardstown from 206 runs and he is usually held up with high confidence.
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8Shorten The Winter44/100
Shorten The Winter is a debutant so the form picture is entirely blank. The yard's 8% strike rate at Leopardstown from 169 runs is modest and the low data confidence means any optimism rests solely on the sales and pedigree background.
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9Misneach Sile44/100
Misneach Sile has shown little in two starts so far, finishing seventh then last, and the step up to 1m1f poses a fresh question while going suitability remains unknown from a small sample. Trainer John McConnell has a 4% strike rate from 338 runs at Leopardstown and he typically settles in midfield.
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10Checkered43/100
Checkered is a newcomer with no racecourse experience so the form book offers nothing concrete. The yard has a modest 3% strike rate from 58 runs at Leopardstown which adds a note of caution, though pedigree and sales background will have to carry the weight here.
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11Shamrock Flame42/100
Shamrock Flame showed ability when second on debut here over further and was far from disgraced when placed again on his only other start, now dropping back to a trip at which he has already been placed. The trainer has a 0% strike rate from 16 runs at Leopardstown and the wide draw in stall 14 adds difficulty.
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12Cool Steel41/100
Cool Steel is a debutant with very little to go on beyond pedigree and sales background. The yard has a modest 3% strike rate from 280 runs at Leopardstown.
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13Vico Road41/100
Vico Road is a modest performer on his three starts to date with form of 540 and drops back in trip to 1m1f having been well held over 1m2f last time, having shown nothing to suggest he is about to improve. Trainer has a modest 3% strike rate from 280 runs at Leopardstown and he usually races handily.
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14Nthea Spirit40/100
Nthea Spirit has only one run in the book so the form is impossible to weigh up with any confidence. The yard’s 3% strike-rate at Leopardstown from 152 runs underlines the modest level of success they have had here, while stepping up to 1m1f and a wide draw in stall 12 add unknowns and she is usually held up.
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15King Of Sparta38/100
King Of Sparta is a modest performer who showed fair form when second on debut last year before running to a similar level on his return, now dropping back in trip to a distance he has not tried. The wide draw in stall 13 is far from ideal, first-time headgear is now applied, and he tends to make the running or race on the pace.
KTB verdict
The KTB Selection is Maybe Art. He brings the highest Fit rating in a race where so many runners are hard to assess, and the yard's excellent 25% strike rate at Leopardstown from a small sample gives him a clear edge among the debutants. Sunatia looks the most solid on known form after three placed efforts and holds a stiff official rating, while the lightly raced Ginnos Oasis cannot be entirely dismissed from the same powerful yard. The uncontested lead predicted by the pace shape could make life hard for the held-up types, so the selection's inside draw may prove an important asset.
KTB Selection Maybe Art
This is the narrative read of the 2:12 Leopardstown. For the live card — runner-by-runner stats, the full Fit Score breakdown and current odds — see the Leopardstown racecard. Every result we hold for the track is on the Leopardstown results & records page. How favourites, trainers, jockeys and the draw have fared here over the last five years is on the Leopardstown racecourse statistics page. New here? How KTB works explains the Fit Score and why we publish both.
Questions about this race
Which horse is expected to secure the uncontested lead?
King Of Sparta is the most obvious front-runner from his run-style, though the wide draw in stall 13 may complicate his task.
How many placed efforts has Sunatia recorded since her debut?
Sunatia has been placed in all three starts since her debut.
What is Cian Hughes's strike rate at Leopardstown?
Cian Hughes has a 25% strike rate at Leopardstown from eight runs.
Why is the assessment of debutants such as Maybe Art and Rhapsodic cautious?
The data is too thin to draw firm conclusions and any assessment rests on pedigree and sales background with low data confidence.
What trip is Ginnos Oasis stepping up to today?
Ginnos Oasis is stepping up in trip today.
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