Sporting Life – Sunday, March 22nd, 2026
0.5 pt win Iowa City in Naas 16:22 (8/1 General)
The second day of the Irish flat turf season is at Naas, and it looks an interesting if difficult card, perhaps one to learn from rather than bet on.
The Irish Racing Writers Association Madrid Handicap at 15:47 is the feature and Causeway is understandably favourite. He took a big jump from first to second start last season and has plenty of good entries though the Ballydoyle runners at the Curragh last Sunday did not seem particularly ready.
Breaking Dawn was a winner on that same Curragh card over six furlongs and steps up to seven now which should suit based on how he went through last week’s race and he has form over further from last season. He should go well but there is another interesting runner from last Sunday in Salacious who shaped well against older sprinters, often a tough ask for three-year-olds at this time of the year.
She looked to find the six-furlong trip then too sharp, getting outpaced in the middle of the race and squeezed out a little too, forced to make her challenge off the rail with nothing to bring her into the race but finishing well in any case. Though out of the weights, she is in form, race-fit and has conditions to suit and may be able to outrun her odds.
Shaool is top-rated in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Devoy Stakes at 16:22 and I suspect she still will be at the end of 2026; she looks the runner in the field with the most potential and is in good hands. The concern is that having already won a Listed race, Johnny Murtagh may be eyeing a Group win later in the spring and this might be her starting point.
Beset looked very good in winning at the Curragh in November but that form had a backend feel to it and she was otherwise more of a high-80s type filly, while a little further might suit too. Sunchart has an excellent record in the race and should go well, though he might prefer even slower ground, while IOWA CITY might be the overpriced one.
It is a positive that Paddy Twomey has opted to keep him in training as a four-year-old and while he was busy at two, he had little racing last season and is open to improvement having had little racing for this yard.
After running just an adequate race on his first start for Twomey, he had a break and returned at Galway in September where he did very well to come from near last to win over a mile, even allowing that the leaders went hard, those tactics difficult to execute at that track.
He was then sent to Cork for a Listed race and a steadily run race looked to work against him as he got caught further back than ideal and had to wait for a run before finishing well and looking like he had more to give. The fifth from that race has since run well in the Irish Lincoln.
In the Colm White Bookmaker Handicap (15:12), Varshini is an interesting runner. She was an impressive winner first time out last season under similar conditions to this afternoon, then the ground went against her in the summer.
She had a couple of runs in big meetings up the Curragh where she met trouble in running and connections then opted to try and get some black type, something that didn’t work out as they got a hike in the weights without adding much breeding value.
Still, she deserved to go up in the weights for her last run in a Listed race at this track where she was fifth and in amongst rivals rated in the high 90s and low 100s, meeting some trouble late, and both ground and trip should suit here. Her yard is historically one that has horses ready early, too.
Of the rest, Thru And Thru is one that should be able to win races this season though there could be some pace pressure in the lead and she lacks handicap experience.
Published at 08:38 GMT on 22/03/26
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