Key Hennessy Trends, Leopardstown February 10th

- Of the last 9 winners to have an official mark going into the race, 8 were rated at least 160. Beef Or Salmon didn’t have a handicap mark when he won his first Hennessy in 2003 but was already a Grade 1 winner and had achieved a Racing Post Rating of 163+ in winning the Lexus.
- All of the last 10 winners were returned at 11/2 or shorter. 8 of the last 10 winners were no bigger than 3/1.
- Concentrate on horses with good recent form. Of the 9 winners since 1999, 7 finished in the first three last time out while the other two fell.
- Run over the same course-and-distance at Christmas, the Lexus has thrown up the winner in 6 of the last 9 renewals. 2 horses completed the double, 2 horses improved on their placed efforts while the final pair fell. Denman won the 2007 incarnation but is unlikely to run here, but the next three home – Mossbank, The Listener and Beef Or Salmon – look major players and were separated by less than 2ls.
- All of the last 10 winners had previously won a Grade 1. 9 had won more than one top-level contest.
- Among the last 10 renewals, only 2002 winner Alexander Banquet had yet to prove his stamina over at least 3 miles.
- Every winner in the last decade had already won at Leopardstown. 7 of those 10 winners could justifiably be called course specialists, having won at least 3 times at the Foxrock track.