'They have a little history' - Monkfish and Latest Exhibition set to clash again

3.10 Leopardstown
Flogas Novice Chase (Grade 1) | 2m5½f | 5yo+ | RTE2/ITV4/RTV

Their Christmas dust-up left us wanting more and now we get the chance to see them do it all over again. It is round three in the Monkfish-Latest Exhibition series that has yet to disappoint.

A neck separated the pair in last season's Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle and the margin was extended to three lengths over the festive period, with Monkfish coming out on top on both occasions.

However, the drop to 2m5½f from 3m could well bring them closer together.

Monkfish is clearly a very effective stayer who is seemingly strongest in the closing stages, so whether he will be at his very best dropping to a mid-range trip on what is likely to be drying ground remains to be seen.

Monkfish: tops the market for the Festival Novices' Chase at CheltenhamCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

However, his 2-0 record against Latest Exhibition means Paul Nolan's stable star must up his game to turn the tables.

There is a suspicion that he could be at his very best over this sort of trip and is not short of pace on the evidence of his second to Abacadabras over 2m in a Grade 3 at Navan last season. You can expect fireworks between the duo once again.

The pair stand out in the nine-runner contest, but there is no shortage of depth to the race won in dramatic fashion by Faugheen 12 months ago and Willie Mullins saddles the X-factor of the race in Asterion Forlonge, who is talented and frustrating in equal measure.

The fact he won a Grade 1 at this meeting over hurdles last year gives hope he could be effective going left-handed, but the bulk of evidence suggests he needs to be running the other way around.

Read more of our Sunday tipping . . .

Members' Club: Tom Segal thinks Willie Mullins is set for another good day at Leopardstown

Members' Club: Paul Kealy tipped 12-1 and 3-1 winners on Saturday and has six more fancies

Members' Club: David Jennings has four fancies for the final day of the Dublin Racing Festival

The Punt Daily: Tom Collins's free horse racing tip on Sunday afternoon

Sunday's free racing tips: six horses to consider putting in your multiple bets

However, the champion trainer proved the doubters of Faugheen wrong in 2020 and could do the same with Asterion Forlonge's critics.

Andy Dufresne has won five of his seven rules starts but has not been tested to the same extent as some of the leading novices around – this will tell us plenty about where he stands right now.

Janidil is better than he showed at Limerick behind Colreevy but has to bounce back in deeper waters, while the Joseph O'Brien-trained Fils D'Oudairies, an improving six-year-old on the evidence of his latest second to Envoi Allen, could hit the frame at a tasty price if the ground does not dry out too much.

Nolan hoping tongue-tie 'experiment' can see Exhibition excel

Only a select group of horses have managed to win at back-to-back Dublin Racing Festivals and Latest Exhibition will join that club if supplementing last year's Nathaniel Lacy and Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle success on Sunday.

Paul Nolan has opted to fit a tongue-tie for the first time on the admirably consistent eight-year-old, who is yet to finish out of the first two in the entirety of his career.

Latest Exhibition (left) was only beaten a neck by Monkfish (centre) in last year's Albert Bartlett Novices' HurdleCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

"I'll be happy if he runs his race and gives a good account of himself," said the Wexford-based trainer.

"We're experimenting a little bit with the tongue-tie. On heavier ground at Punchestown earlier in the season he seemed to be struggling in the early stages and we felt that with the ground looking like it could be softer than it was at Christmas, we'd give it a try."

Nolan added: "He's worn it over the last couple of days here and it doesn't seem to have done him any harm."

What they say

Willie Mullins, trainer of Monkfish, Asterion Forlonge and Janidil
Monkfish has looked a real natural and any rain will help him. The way he jumps, I don't think the trip will be an issue for him. Latest Exhibition and he have a little history together, there's never too much between them. I know Asterion Forlonge jumps a little bit right but we might just try different tactics and see what happens. I hope to have his confidence back. We probably should be keeping him right-handed but sometimes if you don't ask the question you don't get the answer. I was disappointed with Janidil at Limerick, I'm not sure the real heavy ground suited him. He might want a nicer surface.

Joseph O'Brien, trainer of Fils D'Oudairies and Assemble
Fils D'Oudairies is a lovely, progressive horse. It was a great run from him in a messy race last time and hopefully he can show up well again. He enjoys a bit of a cut in the ground. It looks like it'll be nicer ground than last time at Limerick for Assemble and hopefully that will be suitable.

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Andy Dufresne and Conflated
Andy Dufresne is a good horse and he's taken well to fences. It's obviously a very hot race but we like him. That wasn't the real Conflated last time and his earlier form this season proved he's better than that. He's been good at home since and we always thought he would make a nice chaser.

Read more previews:

Classy Quilixios out to strengthen Elliott's grip on juvenile hurdle division

Supreme favourite Appreciate It bids to enhance Mullins' remarkable record

Threeunderthrufive bidding to break par again as he tackles longer trip

Going for Gold: quality five with a dozen Grade 1s between them lock horns

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