Leopardstown Christmas Festival 2025: Paddy Rewards’ Club Chase 

The festive season is upon us and with it comes Leopardstown racecourse’s Christmas Festival, beginning on Boxing Day. 

Four days of prestigious racing will showcase some of the finest talent in Irish national-hunt racing, with elite horses assured to contest every race. 

Six Grade One races are due to run over the course of the festival, one of which is the Paddy’s Rewards Chase. 

Due off at 1:17pm on Saturday, December 27, the race will see horses embark on just over two miles of County Dublin and negotiate 11 scheduled fences. 

For exclusive stories and all the detailed Racing news you need, subscribe to the Racing Ahead website, digital edition, or magazine from as little as 8p a day.

Majborough

This 2025 renewal sees four of the 10 entered runners represent renowned trainer Willie Mullins, who has won this race six times – more than any other trainer. 

His shortest-priced contender is 2024 Triumph Hurdle winner Majborough – priced at 11/4. 

The five-year-old gelding had raced only once for Mullins before his win at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, which came at Leopardstown, and he finished second to stablemate Kargese – the same horse that he beat in the subsequent race. 

His one run in France ended in victory back in 2023 and with that being the first of only eight career starts, he is very unexposed. 

However, as seen in the 2025 Arkle – in which he was a beaten favourite at the Cheltenham Festival – he is yet to fully convince in the jumping department. 

That defeat was bookended either side by Novice Grade One chase victories – the first of which was at Leopardstown – where he hammered Touch Me Not, whilst the latter came at the expense of Only By Night. 

Improve

Both of those horses hold an entry into this race, with Touch Me Not out at 66/1 and Only By Night much shorter, at 10/1. 

Majborough’s only run so far this season came at the beginning of the month, when he was beaten into second by Found A Fifty. 

After the race, Mullins said: “I was disappointed with Majborough’s jumping as it didn’t hold together going down the back, and he paid the price.

“I am hoping that will bring him on. I was hoping he’d jump a lot better, so it is a bit disappointing. 

“He will just have to improve his jumping to be competitive at that level. 

“He just seems to have lost his confidence and I don’t know if more schooling can fix it or maybe he can go up in trip, but I think we’ll stay where we are for the time being. 

“I think fitness will be a big help, but there are definitely question marks over his jumping.

“We should be able to get to Leopardstown over Christmas with him if he recovers nicely from this race.”

Dinoblue & Hercule Du Seuil

He is set to be joined by Dinoblue (13/2) and Hercule Du Seuil (40/1) – both of whom are trained by Mullins – in carrying the colours of owner JP McManus in this race. 

The former won this race in 2023, which – despite some respectable efforts – remains her only Grade One victory. 

Her fourth-placed effort in last year’s renewal of this contest is the only race in 17 that she has failed to finish inside the top three – she has finished third only once. 

The eight-year-old mare has won three of four races since this race last season, one of which came in the Mares Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. 

She then followed up in the Irish equivalent at Punchestown in May before not being seen again until her seasonal reappearance – which came at Navan. 

Dinoblue had Touch Me Not and Hercule Du Sueil behind her that day, though – like Majborogh – succumbed to Found A Fifty. 

Found A Fifty

Trainer Gordon Elliott’s eight-year-old is 6/1 for this race, having won three of his last four races – including his aforementioned wins over Dinoblue and Majborough. 

After the latter, Elliott said: “We had fitness on our side and the rain that fell suited us, he stayed going well and it is great to win those pots.

“Today might have been our day to catch Majborough napping, but he’s a great horse and that’s his level. 

“To be fair, Majborough made mistakes so handed the race to us and today might have been our Gold Cup. 

“It is a great race to win and this is my first time winning it and he wins a big race every year, so we are lucky to have him.

“He is in at Leopardstown over Christmas so I’ll talk to Noel and Valerie (Moran, owners) and see.”

Marine Nationale

However, they will all have to beat four-time Grade One winner (twice in Novice Hurdle races) Marine Nationale, who could be Ireland’s leading hope at landing the Champion Chase, at Cheltenham, in March. 

The 2023 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner followed up in the 2024 Arkle to complete back-to-back wins at the Cheltenham Festival. 

His win in the latter was followed by his third win over fences – his fourth Grade One win – which was the last time he was seen back in April. 

In the lead up to this race, his owner/trainer, Barry Connell, said: “The amount of rain that we’ve had is minimal and if it doesn’t rain, they might have to water. 

“The horse won the Supreme on soft ground and in the Royal Bond it was soft – he just doesn’t want bottomless, heavy winter ground on his first run back. 

Find his feet

“We’re in a different situation this year – the year before, he missed most of his novice season with a suspensory injury. 

“Then in open company, he was coming in a bit behind the eight ball.

“He didn’t have the chasing experience and it took a bit of building over the season to find his feet. 

“When you’re going two-mile Champion Chase speed, you need to learn on the job and he picked up experience.

“We’re not expecting that this time, as his jumping is excellent and he didn’t miss a beat at Cheltenham and Punchestown and he has been to a racecourse for a schooling session.

“At eight-years-old, (soon to be) nine, the horse is finished in respect to not getting any bigger, but he has had a very good summer and is in a good place, both physically and mentally.

“There have been no hold ups with him; he’ll come on for the run, but he’s fit and well, everything is good and I’m looking forward to the 27th.”

Marine Nationale is the 7/4 favourite for this race and will renew his rivalry with both Captain Guiness and Solness. 

The former is out at 40/1 for this race, whilst the latter is at 12/1 as he looks to make it back-to-back wins in this race.

READ MORE: Leopardstown Christmas Festival 2025: Savills Chase race analysis and preview