FOUR WINNING NAPS IN A ROW: Shamrock followed 4-5, 5-2 and 4-9 scorers with Zaidpour (WON 2-9) yesterday for his fourth successive winning nap.
Navan names them after heroes. But the two novice chases which remember Flyingbolt and Ten Up don’t, as a rule, give you much to take out of the race.
The Flyingbolt (4.00) for two-milers has managed just two Arkle fourths in the last seven years, though the Ten Up (4.30) for stayers has given us a Punchestown champion novice in Quito De La Roque last season and an RSA runner-up to Denman, name of Snowy Morning, for Willie Mullins.
2.20 Navan (Boyne Hurdle) The 2011 winner, Voler La Vedette (Stonemaster fourth) has done this race proud but Mullins is looking to more of a War Of Attrition (2010) result, with his ex-chaser Mikael D’Haguenet.
Will it be soft enough for Mikael to land his fourth hurdle on the bounce since he returned to the smaller obstacles?
Stablemate Mourad has much the better form – third to Big Buck’s and second to Voler La Vedette – but also needs the mud and probably another half mile.
Mourad so lacks a finish, and needs using up here, that I’d go to the front and dictate it, if I were Paul Townend. I’m not. But I’m not betting the odds on Mikael D’Haguenet when there’s 3-1 Mourad.
I’ll take that but Mourad will have to motor on, otherwise I may have to suffer Mikael sitting on my shoulder and sprinting past. It’s last chance saloon, Mourad.
4.00 Navan (Flyingbolt Chase) They’re talking about the Arkle for Nearest The Pin, though he’s never won a chase. Ruby Walsh will probably put that right today but what will that make Flemenstar, who beat him 42 lengths over CD in November!
4.30 Navan (Ten Up Chase) Berties Dream, already a Cheltenham Festival winner (Albert Bartlett), is headed for the RSA if he can avenge his December CD defeat by Start Me Up.
Had we been racing in the mud, I would have included Medical Card in calculations but, getting 5lb and on better ground, Crash should turn around their Grade-2 one-two here the last day.
5.00 Navan The Berties Dream yard of Henry De Bromhead seems to have another good ‘Sizing’, who should land the gold and my nap over Defy Logic, a Flemensfirth said to have a big future and bags of stamina.
If he wins a bumper over just two miles, the logic would dictate that ‘big’ is too small a word for his future. We’ll see.
SHAMROCK’S BETS
NAP: Sizing Gold (5.00 Navan)
NEXT BEST: Nearest The Pin (4.00 Navan)
DAQ YANKEE: Mourad (2.20 Navan), Nearest The Pin (4.00 Navan), Crash (4.30 Navan), Sizing Gold (5.00 Navan)
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