Jacob's Ladder
Jacob's Ladder looked good in winning the two-mile-one-furlong handicap chase at the Dublin Racing Festival. Strong in the market beforehand, he was never too far off the pace, up on the outside and into a lovely racing and jumping rhythm for Jack Kennedy. His rider gave him a little squeeze on landing over the second last fence, and he responded like a horse who had plenty of energy left. The leader Addragoole travelled well around the home turn, ostensibly better than Jacob's Ladder, but the Gigginstown horse was only getting going at that point, Jack Kennedy was only winding him up. He was in front before he got to the final fence, and he cleared away up the run-in to win by five lengths.
This was a wholly likeable performance by Gordon Elliott's horse on just his fifth run over fences. Winner of the Grade 3 Michael Purcell Hurdle last season as a novice, he stayed on well to win his beginners' chase over two miles at Fairyhouse in December, and he out-performed market expectations when he finished second behind the classy Kappa Jy Pyke in a Grade 3 novices' chase over almost two and a half miles at Punchestown in January. From the family of Brown Advisory Chase winner Cooldine, the further he went in the Leopardstown race, the stronger he got, and he left the impression that he could do even better stepped back up to two and a half miles.
The handicapper raised him by 8lb for this win to a mark of 151, which is not insignificant, but he is only seven and this was his first handicap chase, and he has such a good attitude that he has the potential to be better than his new mark. He could be a horse for either the novices' handicap chase or the Plate at Cheltenham, both over the intermediate distance.
Leopardstown, 2nd February 2026
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