Golden Joy
Golden Joy was good in winning the two-mile-one-furlong beginners' chase at Leopardstown on Monday. Prominent from early, he took up the running from favourite Aero's Luck at the third fence, and he led all the way from there. His jumping down the back straight for Jordan Gainford was good, and he had the measure of Aero's Luck when that rival came down at the final fence. In the end, he won readily in a good time, the fastest comparative time of the day by a fair way, in a race that has been won by good horses in the recent past, including by Solness in 2023.
This was much more like it from Golden Joy. Gordon Elliott's horse kept good company last season as a novice hurdler, but he was well beaten in each of his first two runs this season in handicap hurdles. This was his second chase, and he could have found his metier here, bowling along in front on goodish ground and attacking his fences. He has been given a chase mark of 133 and, while that is 10lb higher than his hurdles mark, he still has the potential to go beyond that now over fences. He will be of interest if he is aimed at some of the good handicap chases in the spring.
Leopardstown, 3rd March 2025
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