Naas – Thursday 16th December

It feels like it’s been a long time since I was writing about some Irish racing, and after almost a week of no jumps action on the home sea, it’s nice to see a good card back at Naas tomorrow. It should prompt notebooks being at the ready as there are some very interesting maiden hurdles and beginners chases on show with plenty of good horses running. Hopefully we can find a winner but tomorrow looks like a day that one should definitely tune in to pay a keen interest with the long term hopes of many pending on these performances. 

The opener is at 11.45, and is 2m3f maiden hurdle and is for 4YOs. Willie Mullins has a fascinating recruit in the JP McManus silks, having won over in France on his only start there. However, he has been landed in a trappy little race on his first start on these shores. He should be respected but preference is for Chiricahua, who should be all the more streetwise for his two starts over hurdles so far. Paul Nolan has had a superb season so far with the horses he has on his hands, and this horse is one of his brighter young prospects. He also runs Daily Present in this, who is a fascinating newcomer having won a PtP impressively last year. However, Bryan Cooper has sided with Chiricahua, and so will I. He was unfortunate to come down on his first start over hurdles at the last having jumped well and he was only just reeled in at Wexford last time out on desperate ground. He should be at home in this contest. At a best price of 11/4 with Bet365 – he should be backed. 

The 1.25 race is the first handicap hurdle of the day and is part of the JT McNamara Qualified Riders series and as a result, one has to be on the lookout for some good jockeys to side with their horses. The run of Saga Aravis last time out would have to be very disconcerting, given how consistent he had been up until that stage, but he could still be well handicapped off 85 tomorrow. He enlists the help of Rob James, who is one of the best in the business and is sure to have the strongest of each way claims. He is not a massive price by any stretch – but he does arrive here with a chance, especially if giving the horse the benefit of chance for his run last time out. He is currently 5/1 with Paddy Power, who offer 6 places each way. He should be backed each way as a result. 

The final bet on the day comes in the 2.30 and is a 2m handicap chase for horses rated between 0-102. This is typically competitive with plenty of these looking fairly exposed over fences at this stage. A horse that has done me and this page a few decent turns is Rolling Revenge, who has placed at big prices on more than one occasion for us in similar contests. He looks a little bit tripless as a horse but he is a solid jumper and is more consistent than many of these in these sorts of conditions. Trainer Tom Coyle has always been consistent that the ground is the key to this horse, and the yielding ground on offer will be right up this veteran’s street. He is not as big a price as usual, but he is still a backable each way price. I have taken 13/2 with Paddy Power, who offer 5 places.