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27th Dec 2025 – Leopardstown 13:12:00

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Race Shape & Context

• Yielding ground, pace controlled rather than brutal.
• Winner rode the race from the front, dictating tempo.
• Margins were tight up top, but the field finished well strung out — effort told late.

This was about positioning, jumping under restraint, and race management, not raw speed.

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Winner: Solness (8/1)

RPR 166 | TS 145 | OR 161

A very smart, professional performance.

• Market: Underestimated, but nibbled late.
• Run style: Prominent from the start, controlled the race after the 2nd.
• Jumping: Not perfect early, but decisive when it mattered.
• Finish: Always doing enough once challenged.

The RPR of 166 is serious Grade 1 form and arguably a career peak. TS 145 backs up that he sustained his gallop despite pressure late. Crucially, he never relinquished control.

Verdict: This was earned, not gifted. He’s now a genuine top-tier 2m–2½m chaser.

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2nd: Marine Nationale (2/1)

RPR 164 | TS 145 | OR 170

Big run in defeat, despite a messy start.

• Market: Strong but uneasy.
• Early issue: Jinked badly at the 2nd, nearly unseated — race could have ended there.
• Recovery: Regained rhythm, stayed on strongly late.

Given what went wrong early, this was an excellent performance. He finished with purpose and was closing again at the line.

Verdict: No downgrade at all. If anything, this reinforces his class — especially on better ground and with a cleaner round.

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3rd: Majborough (6/4F)

RPR 161 | TS 142 | OR 164

Good, but not quite good enough.

• Market: Well-backed favourite.
• Run style: Keen, slightly inefficient jumping.
• Key moment: Couldn’t go with the first two when pressure mounted.

The RPR says he ran close to form, but visually he looked just short of peak sharpness in a tactical race.

Verdict: Still high-class, but this suggested he might be better suited to a stronger gallop or a slightly longer trip.

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4th: Found A Fifty (9/2)

RPR 143 | TS 121 | OR 164

Below expectations.

• Tracked leaders but folded late.
• Jumping error at the last sealed it.

Verdict: Not his day. Needs a different setup — possibly softer ground or more pace.

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The Rest

• Only By Night: Hampered early, never competitive.
• Captain Guinness: Looked every bit his age now — this was too much.
• Hercule Du Seuil: Folded early; clearly not at this level.

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Overall Race Verdict

• Solid Grade 1, more about control than brilliance.
• Winner fully deserved, but margins suggest rematches matter.
• Marine Nationale arguably ran the most eye-catching race given circumstances.

Bottom line:
Solness won by riding the race like a pro — right place, right time, right jumps. But this form is tight, and with a truer gallop, the pecking order could easily shuffle.