Tony Keenan looks ahead to the action as Flat racing is back at Naas this afternoon - check out his one selection in the fillies' maiden.
One of the more interesting aspects of the opening flat card of the year at Naas is the trainer angle, where there are a couple of horses running that could be given little chance were they trained by anyone other than who they are.
Queenstown is the lowest rated horse in the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Devoy Stakes at 2.35 by a fair way, and looked less than straightforward when breaking his maiden in the final race of the last turf season by a nose from a 75-rated rival.
But Aidan O’Brien has opted to geld him and keep him in training as a four-year-old while also entering him in the Tattersalls Gold Cup so there are strong pointers that he can prove much better than a mark of 82.
Janoobi in the Far Above At Compas Stallions Handicap (3.45) is another unlikely type on the book having not run in 575 days but Ger Lyons tends not to keep older handicappers in training unless there is at least one race to be won with them and the testing ground should suit one with a marked knee action.
Lyons had a disappointing 2023 on balance but he has had his share of winners at Dundalk over winter, including last Friday night, and his record at the early meetings at Naas in March is good; in the last 10 years, he has had eight winners from 37 runners on these cards with 16 places, for a level-stakes profit of 31.35 points and an actual/expected of 1.40.
His WENDLA may be worth supporting in the opening Dubawi Legend Irish EBF Fillies Maiden at 1.25.
She shaped with promise on debut at Cork last September behind the well-regarded Ezeliya who had been strongly supported on debut and her rider Chris Hayes was still criticising himself for his ride on her first time out after Tahiyra won the Matron, saying on irishracing.com: "It sounds mad, but I learned here from a maiden three weeks ago. I gave one a hash of a ride in a maiden and I got boxed in trying to be too clever. The boss (Weld) said to me you don't do that around Leopardstown."
Wendla went down by a length to the Weld filly then when giving up experience and having a wide trip with no cover and while she could manage only sixth at the Curragh on her next start, it likely came too soon just 16 days later and has turned out to be a strong piece of form.
The second, seventh and ninth out of that race all won before the end of the season and Wendla shaped better than the result, racing keenly and taking herself to the lead too soon, all of this coming at a time when her yard was quiet.
Both the Ballydoyle debutante Fleetingly and the Weld switcher Harbour Gem are dangerous rivals, but Wendla looks good enough to win a race of this nature and has proven herself on this sort of ground already.
Published at 0848 GMT on 24/03/24
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