Irish jumps racing expert Tony Keenan looks ahead to today's quality action from Naas and has one selection on the card.
Irish racing tips: Sunday January 7
1pt win Aslukwoodhavit in 1.00 Naas at 11/1 (General)
Naas offers some relief to the grimness of early January this afternoon having passed an initial inspection - hopefully the fog won't descend again – with the feature being what looks a strong running of their sole Grade 1 of the year, the Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle at 2.00.
Since upgraded to top level status, both Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott have won the race four times apiece and today’s contest again sets up as a clash between the two, Mullins declaring all five of his five-day stage entries to run.
What that says about the strength of his challenge is hard to discern but historically Elliott has run his best – or close to his best – novice in the race whereas Mullins keeps his top prospects for other races but has still been able to win his share due to the depth of talent at Closutton.
This season, however, it has been Elliott that has won both Irish Grade 1s with Farren Glory and Caldwell Potter and seems to have a particularly strong team.
Firefox and Ile Atlantique are the main players looking at the early market, both having won maiden hurdles that have worked out well, though my left-field take is that both might turn out to be best at two miles.
Firefox has looked a much sharper horse since his debut over two-and-a-half miles while Ile Atlantique did not always finish his bumpers off well so perhaps neither would want this to develop into a slog but all in all it is a race I am happy to watch without a strong opinion.
Willie Mullins has plenty of other strong chances on the card, including Mister Policeman in the BetVictor Irish EBF Novice Chase at 1.00. He won in workmanlike fashion on his first start over fences at Fairyhouse, margins compressed by the steady pace, and is likely better than that but seems priced as if that is a surety.
ASLUKWOODHAVIT may be worth a small play against him.
Having started out his career with Mullins, he moved to Henry De Bromhead after his bumper runs and has looked good on both his starts in a tongue-tie, winning a maiden hurdle at Tramore by 16 lengths last April before the equipment was strangely left off for his next start at the Punchestown Festival, a run that may have come too soon in any case.
With the tongue-tie reapplied for his first chase start at Punchestown in November, he always looked to be going best and jumped particularly well and while that was only a rated novice, the time was quite good and the third and fourth have run well since.
He was not as good as his main rivals over hurdles – allowing that he only had three starts over them – but seems to have taken well to fences judged on the evidence of his first run, something that is not unusual for a De Bromhead runner, and he deserves to be a little shorter in the market.
Published at 0918 GMT on 07/01/24
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