Check out Donn McClean's horse-by-horse guide and 1-2-3-4 verdict for Wednesday's Guinness Kerry National at Listowel.
1. French Dynamite
The first of four representatives in the race for local trainer Eric McNamara, who had a nice winner on the first day of the festival in Tumbling In and who has won the Kerry National three times, including in 2012, when he fielded the 1-2. A dual Grade 3 winner when he was with Mouse Morris, and second in the 2022 Paddy Power Gold Cup, French Dynamite finished third in the Kerry National last year on his first run for his new trainer, and he won the Munster National on his second. He warmed up for this year’s renewal with a nice run over hurdles at Galway two weeks ago, and that should have brought him forward nicely for this test. He has plenty of weight, he is 5lb higher in the handicap than he was for last year’s race, but Joey Dunne takes off a useful 7lb.
2 Finiculi Finicula
Winner of his beginners’ chase at Cork at Easter, he kept on well to win a highly competitive novices’ handicap chase at the Punchestown Festival over two and a half miles. He was sent off as favourite for the Galway Plate on the back of that run, but it never really happened for him there. You obviously have to forgive him that run, it was just too bad to be true, and he reportedly grazed both stifles. A six-year-old who has raced just five times over fences, Willie Mullins’ horse has the potential to go beyond the handicap rating of 149 off which he will race, but he does have to prove his stamina for this trip. A key representative of the champion trainer, who has won the Kerry National four times, most recently last year with Spanish Harlem, he is the choice of Paul Townend in front of five stable companions who have made it into the first 18.
3. King Alexander
The Galway Plate hero, who obviously put up a career-best performance in winning the summer feature, staying on well to get home by a half a length from Conyers Hill. He is 8lb higher now, but he is still lightly raced over fences, he retains the potential to progress, and, winner of a handicap hurdle at Fairyhouse over three miles on his first run for Willie Mullins, he could do even better over the slightly longer trip. He is re-united with his Galway partner Daniel King, but it is worth bearing in mind that no Galway Plate winner has followed up in the Kerry National since Life Of A Lord completed the double in 1995.
4. Will The Wise
He was well beaten in the Galway Plate the last time we saw him, but he is better-judged on his spring form. He ran a big race to finish second to the well-handicapped Madara in the Plate at the Cheltenham Festival, and he stepped forward from that next time when he kept on well to land the Topham Chase at Aintree, when he reversed places with his Cheltenham conqueror on better terms. Gavin Cromwell’s horse now races now of an Irish handicap rating of 148, just 5lb higher than the British mark off which he won the Topham, and his trainer and rider Keith Donoghue famously teamed up to win this race two years ago with Flooring Porter.
5. Jesse Evans
He is 10 now, but he proved that he retains all his enthusiasm for racing in winning a good conditions chase at Listowel in June, when he probably had the measure of Blood Destiny anyway before that rival made a mistake at the final fence. And Blood Destiny enhanced the form of that run when he won a good handicap chase at the Galway Festival next time. Noel Meade’s horse is two for two at the track – he won a four-year-olds’ bumper at the festival too in 2020 – a handicap rating of 145 is 6lb lower than his peak rating, and his trainer won the race in 2018 with Snow Falcon.
6. Ol Man Dingle
A fine third in the Mayo National at Ballinrobe in May off a mark of 140, he stepped forward from that next time when he dropped in trip for the Galway Plate Trial at Kilbeggan in June. He won nicely that day off the same mark, with cheekpieces refitted, coming from well back in the field and staying on strongly to get the better of Gaelic Arc, who had won that race in 2025. Eoin Griffin’s horse is 7lb higher over fences that he is over hurdles, but he is worthy of his chase rating, and rider Michael Kenneally is good value for his 5lb claim.
7. Downmexicoway
Another relatively lightly-raced second-season chaser who retains plenty of scope for further progression. Henry de Bromhead’s horse ran a big race in the Plate at the Cheltenham Festival when he finished fourth behind Madara, three lengths behind Will The Wise, when he didn’t have a great run through the race. He kept on well up the hill last time to finish fifth in the Galway Plate, less than four lengths behind the winner, coming from a fair way back after getting shuffled back with inauspicious jumps at each of the two fences in the dip first time. Assemble finished seventh in the Galway Plate in 2021 before going on and winning the Kerry National, the 2020 Kerry National winner Cabaret Queen finished third at Galway and the 2018 winner Snow Falcon finished fourth. He has to prove his stamina for this slightly longer trip, he had the pace to win a handicap chase over two miles at Gowran Park last November, but his half-brother Dhowin won over three and a quarter miles, and he left the impression in the Galway Plate that he could get further. His trainer won the race with Poker Party in 2019, and he will have Darragh O’Keeffe for company.
8. Nowwhatdoyouthink
He was a progressive novice chaser last season for Ray Hackett. Second behind C’Est Ta Chance in the Grade 3 Pierce Molony Novice Chase at Thurles in March, he ran out an easy winner of a three-runner Grade 3 chase at Cork next time, and he put up a career-best performance on his final run last season to finish third behind Western Fold in the Grade 1 Champion Novice Chase at the Punchestown Festival. He ran well for a long way in the Galway Plate last time on his first run for Gordon Elliott, he travelled well through his race for Jack Kennedy, he was still on the bridle when they landed over the last and started around the home turn. While he couldn’t get to King Alexander in the end, he stuck to his task well on the far side after he came under pressure. That was his first run since April and his first for his new trainer, a dual winner of the Kerry National, so, with Jack Kennedy on board again, there is every chance that he can improve on that now.
9. Perceval Legallois
He achieved a rare feat in winning two listed handicaps, a handicap chase and a handicap hurdle, at Leopardstown two seasons ago – the former at the Christmas Festival, the latter at the Dublin Racing Festival – and he was well fancied for the Grand National on the back of those runs, but he fell early on at Aintree. He hasn’t managed to re-discover his best form since and, while his run in the Midlands National at Kilbeggan in July was his best for a long time, he didn’t build on that last time in the Galway Plate. That said, at his best, he would be a danger to all. He is back down to a handicap rating of 143, just 1lb higher than the mark off which he won the Paddy Power Chase two seasons ago and, owner JP McManus’ only runner in the race, he will have the assistance of Harry Cobden.
10. Conyers Hill
He doesn't win as often as his talent suggests he should, but he has put up some big performances in some big races in defeat of late. He has finished second in each of his last three races, a Grade 3 handicap chase at the Punchestown Festival, the Mayo National at Ballinrobe and the Galway Plate last time, when he probably put up a career-best performance in finishing off his race well on the near side to take second place, just a half a length behind King Alexander. Paul Nolan’s horse has been raised by 4lb by the handicapper to a mark of 139, but that still leaves him 4lb better off with King Alexander for a half-length beating, and Alan O’Sullivan is another talented conditional who is good value for his 5lb claim.
11. Spread Boss Ted
A game winner of his beginners’ chase over two and a half miles at Naas in March, he ran a big race to take third place behind his stable companion Finiculi Finicula in that listed novices’ handicap chase at the Punchestown Festival in May. He is another to whom you have to give a pass after a below-par performance in the Galway Plate on his latest run, when he was keener than ideal early on in the race on his first run back since Punchestown. He is nine now, but he has raced just five times over fences and, fourth in the Albert Bartlett Hurdle as a novice hurdler, he should appreciate the slight step back up in trip.
12. Uncle Pat
He probably put up the best performance of his career to date when he won a valuable handicap chase over almost four miles at the Punchestown Festival in early May, when he may have benefited from charting a wide path but still kept on well to come home 15 lengths clear of his closest pursuer. He was well beaten off his new mark of 139 in the Midlands National next time though, and he was no match for Butch Cassidy at Killarney last time. He did win his maiden hurdle at the 2024 Listowel Festival, but he has to prove now that he is able for a mark in the high 130s.
13. Ballygunner Castle
He hasn’t won yet over fences, but he was travelling well when he fell at the fourth last fence in a beginners’ chase at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve, and he ran well for a long way in the listed novices’ handicap chase that his stable companion Finiculi Finicula won at the Punchestown Festival. He has since finished well down the field in the Galway Plate, so you have to allow him that, but he has raced just five times over fences, and there could be more to come from him.
14. Doctor Ken
He made much of the running and stayed on well in his first-time cheekpieces to win a three-mile handicap chase at Kempton in March on his final run for Olly Murphy. The runner-up from that race came out and won next time at Warwick off a 1lb higher mark, and is now 8lb higher than he was then. Picked up by Eric McNamara at the Goffs UK Spring sale in May, he will race off an Irish mark of 137, just 5lb higher than the British mark off which he won at Kempton. And he jumped a little to his left at Kempton, so he should appreciate the return to a left-handed track. He is 10 now, but he has raced just eight times over fences, and trainer Eric McNamara has previous with new acquisitions in top staying handicap chases.
15. You Oughta Know
He hasn’t won since he won a novices’ chase at Wexford in August last year. He has been coming down the handicap but he is still looking more exposed than some of his rivals.
16. Kings Hill
He ran out an impressive winner of the Galway Blazers Handicap Chase at the Galway Festival, providing Athenry trainer Paul Gilligan with his second win in the race in the last five years. He is 8lb higher now, but he left the impression that he won with plenty in hand and, a seven-year-old who has raced just seven times over fences, there could be more to come from him. Busselton finished second in the Galway Blazers in 2022 before going to Listowel and winning the Kerry National. The blinkers and rider JJ Slevin were both new additions at Galway, and both are retained.
17. Look To The West
A good winner of a four-runner mares’ chase at Limerick in May over two and a half miles on her final run for Henry de Bromhead, she is another who is having her first run for Eric McNamara. She is lightly raced, but she is probably going to have to step up a fair bit on what she has done to date if she is going to be involved, and a little bit of rain would be no harm.
18. Weveallbeencaught
First reserve at the five-day stage, he has sneaked into the first 18. Second to his stable companion French Dynamite in the Munster National on his second run for Eric McNamara, he ran well for a long way in the Kim Muir at Cheltenham in March, but he may be in the handicapper’s grip now.
19. Meet And Greet
First reserve, he kept on into a remote fourth in the Champion Stayers’ Hurdle at Punchestown last time. He is 10 now, but he has raced just four times over fences, and, if he gets into the race, he will get to race off a chase mark that is 11lb lower than his hurdles mark.
20. A Penny A Hundred
Second reserve, she put up one of the best performances of her career to date last time when she finished second behind Kings Hill in the Galway Blazers. She is not obviously unexposed, but she goes into the race in good form, and she should appreciate the ground and the slight step back up in trip.
21. Yoradreamer
Third reserve, he made a bad mistake early on in the Galway Blazers, after which rider Danny Mullins performed heroics to keep the partnership intact. He is better judged on his latest run at Killarney, when he finished third behind Butch Cassidy and his stable companion Uncle Pat, but even a reproduction of that form might not be good enough.
Verdict
1. Downmexicoway
2. Nowwhatdoyouthink
3. Spread Boss Ted
4. Doctor Ken
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