5:45 Leopardstown
The 5:45 at Leopardstown is a competitive 18-runner Bulmers Live Handicap over 1m on good ground. The KTB Fit scores are tightly bunched at the top, with Local Lad heading the list on 58, just ahead of Bay Of Dreams on 57 and Millhone on 56, while the remainder of the field sits between 49 and 35. Several runners are stepping up in trip from 7f, first-time headgear is widespread, and the lack of strong course form among many contenders adds an open look to proceedings.
How the race shapes up
The pace shape suggests a steadily run race with no obvious front-runner dominating. Local Lad from stall 2 and Battle Borne from stall 1 are likely to track the early pace, while several mid-pack runners including Zaraahmando, Heliogabalus and Running Point should be prominent as the field settles. The key question is whether the race will be decided by those coming from off the pace on the straight or if the prominent runners can dictate matters in what looks an even contest.
The KTB Fit ranking
- 1Local Lad KTB Selection58/100Modest performer who has shown consistent placed form at this trip without winning.
- 2Bay Of Dreams57/100Modest performer who has been well below form on his last three starts.
- 3Millhone56/100Limited performer who has shown very little in five starts to date and makes no appeal on recent form.
- 4Heliogabalus49/100Modest performer who won over this trip last season but has failed to build on it in five starts since.
- 5Zaraahmando49/100Modest performer who has won once over this trip but has been largely out of form this year with a string of modest efforts.
- 6Running Point48/100Modest performer who has shown bits of ability but remains winless after five starts.
- 7Battle Borne47/100Modest performer who has been largely out of form this year with a string of poor efforts.
- 8Ocean Echo47/100Ocean Echo is a modest performer who has shown his best work when placed in two of his four starts.
- 9Navajo Point46/100Navajo Point has shown very little in five runs to date and sits right at the bottom of the ratings for a limited performer.
- 10Dawn Flame46/100Modest performer who has been up and down this year with a win over this trip on his third start.
- 11Verhoyen46/100Verhoyen is a limited 11-year-old with a recent string of modest efforts that matches his overall profile.
- 12Cosmic Funk45/100Cosmic Funk is a modest performer who has shown his best at this track with a second and a fifth from two runs here.
- 13Perfect Judgement44/100Modest performer who has won once over this trip and once at Leopardstown from limited attempts.
- 14Bucaneer's Spirit43/100Modest performer who has won three times at this trip but has been out of form for much of the last year.
- 15Sayfa Fad40/100Limited performer who has shown bits of ability at this trip, winning once from eight attempts, and has managed a second-place finish from four runs at Leopards…
- 16Go Out40/100Modest performer with a recent string of ordinary efforts including a string of mid-field finishes.
- 17Smithfield40/100Modest performer who has shown little spark in two runs this year after a poor 2024.
- 18Fleetfootsoldier35/100Limited performer who has won four times over today's 1m trip but has shown little spark in two runs this year.
The contenders
Local Lad KTB Fit 58/100
Local Lad is a modest performer who has shown consistent placed form at this trip without winning. He steps up from 7f today having been well held on his most recent start and makes his first appearance at Leopardstown. The trainer holds a solid 10% strike rate here while the jockey has an above par record from limited rides. Recent form of 3383-0 underlines his placed efforts at the trip, and he has been competitive on good ground from two starts. Drawn low in stall 2, his run-style should see him track the pace in a race where positioning could prove important.
Bay Of Dreams KTB Fit 57/100
Bay Of Dreams is a modest performer who has been well below form on his last three starts. He did win over this trip earlier in his career and has placed on good ground from six starts, but his sole run here was poor when finishing 14th. The trainer has a solid 10% strike rate at Leopardstown while the jockey is operating below his usual level at the track with a 7% strike rate. Recent form reads 22-009, showing earlier promise that has since faded. From draw 7 he should be able to take a handy position.
Millhone KTB Fit 56/100
Millhone is a limited performer who has shown very little in five starts to date and makes no appeal on recent form of 900-07. He steps up to 1m for the first time today having been beaten on both previous attempts at the trip while first-time headgear is now applied. The trainer has a 7% strike rate from 15 runs here and the jockey records a 10% strike rate from 30 rides at the track. Drawn in stall 9, his run-style is unproven at the new distance but he has shown nothing to suggest he can suddenly improve.
Heliogabalus KTB Fit 49/100
Heliogabalus is a modest performer who won over this trip last season but has failed to build on it in five starts since with form of 03100-. Placed twice on good ground from seven tries and ran respectably when sixth here on his only visit to Leopardstown. Trainer and jockey both have solid records at the track though neither is setting the place alight with respective 10% and 11% strike rates. From draw 5 he should be able to race prominently, and his placed efforts on good ground keep him in the mix at this level.
Zaraahmando KTB Fit 49/100
Zaraahmando is a modest performer who has won once over this trip but has been largely out of form this year with a string of modest efforts and recent form of 15-406. First time headgear is now tried and the horse handles good ground having won twice from seven starts. Trainer has a modest record at the track with a 6% strike rate while the jockey is still seeking a first Leopardstown winner from few rides. Drawn in stall 3, his run-style should allow him to be handy early, and the new headgear may help him recapture some of his earlier promise.
The rest of the field
Running PointKTB Fit 48/100
Running Point is a modest performer who has shown bits of ability but remains winless after five starts. Finished fifth of six on his only previous run here and was well held on his return from a break last time. Steps up in trip with first-time headgear today while the yard and jockey both have modest strike rates at the track.
Battle BorneKTB Fit 47/100
Battle Borne is a modest performer who has been largely out of form this year with a string of poor efforts and recent form of 100002. Has run four times at Leopardstown without placing and the yard’s modest record here offers little encouragement. Placed once from four starts on good ground but has looked limited at this level.
Ocean EchoKTB Fit 47/100
Ocean Echo is a modest performer who has shown his best work when placed in two of his four starts. He steps up from 7f to 1m today having already tried the trip once without success and the wide draw in stall 12 adds another complication. Trainer Mark Fahey has a 5% strike rate from 44 runs at Leopardstown while Paddy Harnett's 9% from 56 rides here is more encouraging.
Navajo PointKTB Fit 46/100
Navajo Point has shown very little in five runs to date and sits right at the bottom of the ratings for a limited performer. The step up to 1m looks a fresh question after two previous tries at the trip brought no joy. Trainer and jockey both have modest records at Leopardstown.
Dawn FlameKTB Fit 46/100
Dawn Flame is a modest performer who has been up and down this year with a win over this trip on his third start. Steps up from 6.5f today having looked held by stronger company on his last two runs. Trainer and jockey both operate at a 5% strike rate here.
VerhoyenKTB Fit 46/100
Verhoyen is a limited 11-year-old with a recent string of modest efforts that matches his overall profile. He has placed twice from eight runs at this trip though steps up from 7f today, while his record on good ground reads a respectable three wins and seven places from 15 starts. The trainer holds a 7% strike rate here from 76 runs and the 5lb claimer is operating at a 10% rate from 69 rides at Leopardstown.
Cosmic FunkKTB Fit 45/100
Cosmic Funk is a modest performer who has shown his best at this track with a second and a fifth from two runs here. He has placed once in three starts at this trip but his recent form has been patchy and he is drawn widest of all in stall 16. The Lyons yard has a solid 11% strike rate at Leopardstown while Carroll's 7% record at the track is in line with expectations.
Perfect JudgementKTB Fit 44/100
Perfect Judgement is a modest performer who has won once over this trip and once at Leopardstown from limited attempts. Recent form is poor with no competitive efforts since the spring and a wide draw in stall 14 looks unhelpful. Trainer and jockey both have modest records at the track.
Bucaneer's SpiritKTB Fit 43/100
Bucaneer's Spirit is a modest performer who has won three times at this trip but has been out of form for much of the last year. He has shown nothing at this track in two runs and his trainer remains winless from 31 attempts here. The jockey's modest strike rate at Leopardstown adds little encouragement on ground he handles.
Sayfa FadKTB Fit 40/100
Sayfa Fad is a limited performer who has shown bits of ability at this trip, winning once from eight attempts, and has managed a second-place finish from four runs at Leopardstown. Placed once from eight starts on good ground without winning and his recent form of 08170- suggests he can be inconsistent. Trainer has a 5% strike rate here from 164 runs while jockey records an 8% strike rate from 101 rides at the track.
Go OutKTB Fit 40/100
Go Out is a modest performer with a recent string of ordinary efforts including a string of mid-field finishes. Steps up to 1m for the first time in a while having failed to trouble the judge in two previous tries at the trip and showed little on his only run on good ground. Trainer has too few runners here to judge while the jockey operates at a 9% strike rate from a large sample at Leopardstown.
SmithfieldKTB Fit 40/100
Smithfield is a modest performer who has shown little spark in two runs this year after a poor 2024. Dropping back to 1m is a positive as he has placed at the trip in the past though he is now tried in first-time headgear having looked a difficult ride. Trainer Gavin Cromwell has a 6% strike rate from 438 runs here while Jack Kearney is still seeking a first Leopardstown winner from 54 rides.
FleetfootsoldierKTB Fit 35/100
Fleetfootsoldier is a limited performer who has won four times over today's 1m trip but has shown little spark in two runs this year. Only one previous run at Leopardstown and three on good ground both produced no win or place finishes. The trainer and jockey both operate at a 3% strike rate here from decent-sized samples.
KTB verdict
Local Lad is the KTB Selection. He has shown consistent placed form at this trip without winning and steps up from 7f off the back of a modest effort, but the trainer's solid record at Leopardstown and the jockey's above-par figures from limited rides provide encouragement on his first run at the track. His low draw should help him secure a good early position in a race that may not be strongly run. The main dangers are Bay Of Dreams, who has won over the trip and has the assistance of a yard in form at the venue, and Heliogabalus, who has shown ability on good ground and ran respectably on his only previous visit to Leopardstown.
KTB Selection Local Lad
This is the narrative read of the 5:45 Leopardstown. For the live card — runner-by-runner stats, the full Fit Score breakdown and current odds — see the Leopardstown racecard. New here? How KTB works explains the Fit Score and why we publish both.
Questions about this race
Which horse is making its first start at Leopardstown?
Local Lad makes his first appearance at Leopardstown.
How many runners are wearing first-time headgear?
Millhone, Zaraahmando, Running Point and Smithfield are all wearing first-time headgear.
Which horse has the best recent course form at Leopardstown?
Cosmic Funk has shown his best at this track with a second and a fifth from two runs here, while Perfect Judgement has won here from two starts.
Who has the strongest trainer record at Leopardstown in this race?
Ciaran Murphy has a 10% strike rate at Leopardstown with an A/E of 1.5 from 63 runs.
Which runners are stepping up from 7f to 1m?
Local Lad, Ocean Echo, Verhoyen and Millhone are all stepping up from 7f to 1m.
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