With Sandown’s fixture on Saturday being abandoned, Irish racing at Naas appeals most.
The Irish track hosts the sole Group 1 of the weekend, the Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle (16h00) on Sunday.
A quality field of eight line up at the two-and-a-half-mile start including six last-time-out winners, with track conditions likely to remain soft, heavy in places.
Henry de Bromhead will bid to win the Lawlor’s of Naas Gr1 Novice Hurdle for a second time as An Tobar is set to carry the 2021 winning colours of Bob Olinger in Sunday’s renewal (Pic – Naas Racecourse)
Willie Mullins saddles five with Ile Atlantique looking the stable elect with Paul Townend aboard.
He was beaten three-quarters of a length by the re-opposing Gordon Elliott trained Firefox in a Fairyhouse bumper at the end of last season, and both of these six-year-olds won on their seasonal returns over hurdles.
It should be an intriguing rematch between the two. Ile Atlantique made an impressive start to his career over hurdles when ‘cantering’ home by 19 lengths in a Gowran Park maiden hurdle in November.
The third home has subsequently won in easy fashion.
Elliott has saddled the winner of the race four times and in-form stable jockey Jack Kennedy has decided to stay with Firefox, who defeated Ballyburn by two lengths at Fairyhouse on his hurdles debut.
A stable companion to Ile Atlantique, Ballyburn went on to land the odds by 29-lengths in a Leopardstown maiden over Christmas.
Elliott also saddles the Navan Gr2 winner Croke Park who landed the honours in November with Kennedy aboard, Sam Ewing now rides.
Patrick Mullins is on Chapeau De Soleil, who he rode to victory at Clonmel on his hurdling debut, and cousin Danny takes the mount on Lecky Watson who finished runner-up at Group 2 level at Navan in early December.
Henry de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore team up with An Tobar. A seven-year-old who has had two starts, landing a maiden at Fairyhouse prior to finishing third in the Gr1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle last month.
He could finish in the placings, but this feature looks to be fought out between the top two in the market with Ile Atlantique narrowly preferred to Firefox.
Earlier on the card at 15h00, Mister Policeman should follow up in the BetVictor Irish EBF Novice Chase providing Willie Mullins and Paul Townend with a double.
