Final pieces fall into place at Leopardstown 

The final weekend of preliminary racing for the 2008 Cheltenham Festival got underway on Friday evening at Leopardstown racecourse in Ireland. Over the years it has become a tradition for Irish trainers to bring some of Ireland’s key Cheltenham Festival runners to train on the course following the conclusion of the day’s racing.

Sky’s the Limit, Take That and Total Enjoyment are just some of the horses that have performed well at the Leopardstown dress-rehearsal before going on to claim a victory at the Cheltenham Festival.

With many trainers opting to take their horses to the all-weather track at Dundalk this year, talent on the ground was thinner than usual, however action on the turf still managed to provided some vital clues for the 2008 Cheltenham Festival.

Among the horses to show form was Leg Spinner, who easily led a field including former Champion Hurdle winner Hardy Eustace. The run saw Leg Spinner promoted to the head of the Coral Cup odds table. Meanwhile Hardy Eustace’s disappointing run saw him drift in the Champion Hurdle rankings, and it now seems more likely that he will run in the World Hurdle.

The best performer on the day was River Liane whose win in the Madigan’s hurdle saw his price contract from 16/1 to 4/1 in the Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle odds table.

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