Top level jump racing returns to Naas Racecourse this Sunday

Jump racing returns to Naas Racecourse this Sunday and the Kildare venue will welcome back a number of Grade 1 level performers, most notably the Jimmy Mangan-trained Spillane’s Tower.

Mangan’s Punchestown Gold Cup runner-up will return to the scene of his maiden triumph as he begins this season in the €45,000 SIS Brown Lad Handicap Hurdle taking on 13 rivals.

Spillane’s Tower missed out on a Grade 1 engagement at Down Royal last weekend but he looks favourably treated with a rating of 130 compared to his chase assessment of 163 and Mangan’s stable star will once again be partnered by Mark Walsh.

Gavin Cromwell’s Backtonormal is another notable inclusion returning to hurdles having been last seen winning a valuable chase at the Dublin Racing Festival in February, while the popular colours of the Bowe family will be carried by the Harry Kelly-trained Linden Arden who is a daughter of the great race mare Solerina, who won the final race of her career at Naas.

Gordon Elliott is double handed in the SIS Brown Lad Handicap Hurdle with Staffordshire Knot and Pour Les Filles, while champion trainer Willie Mullins will run Sysko.

Mullins is strongly represented in the Grade 3 Barberstown Castle Chase in which Grade 1 winner Champ Kiely and stable companion Ile Atlantique will lock horns. Champ Kiely, the 2023 Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle winner, ended last season with Grade 1 success at the Punchestown Festival, while Ile Atlantique will try to follow his Grade 2 Racing Post Novice Chase win over the course and distance last January.

“We are delighted the rain has come and it gives us the opportunity to get these horses out,” Patrick Mullins said this morning. 

“Paul Townend has gone with Champ Kiely as he is the dual Grade 1 winner, including one at Naas. He is obviously stepping down significantly in trip and he has to give weight away to everything so it is not going to be an easy task but it will blow the cobwebs away.” 

Mullins added: “I think this trip will suit Ile Atlantique well and he should give Danny a really good spin and go very close. But it will be difficult for both horses to give weight away to Inthepocket and Only By Night so it is a cracking race, a real proper race, and hopefully one of our two can come out on top.” 

Inthepocket has been absent since the Racing Post Novice Chase when he was third, while the five runner field is completed by Punchestown’s Grade 1 Barberstown Castle Novice Chase runner-up Only By Night and the John Ryan-trained Gaelic Art.

Any novice event at this time of year will immediately spark interest and trainer Gordon Elliott appears to have a couple of fascinating runners in the Sign Up To GavinLynchRacing.com Beginners Chase. The Wallpark finished last season in Grade 1 company in the staying division and will join stable mate Jacob’s Ladder, who won the Grade 3 Michael Purcell Hurdle at Naas last term. Recent Clonmel winner Irish Panther and Tom Gibney’s four-year-old Raffles Dolce Vita are also of interest.

Elliott will run Point-to-Point winners Port Authority in the Cavan Developments Maiden Hurdle and Newbrook Diamond in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden Hurdle with both racecourse debutants being of interest.

An entertaining eight race card will begin at 12.20pm and also features the Overlander Fishery Lane Novice Hurdle in which Paul Townend is a notable booking on the Michael O’Callaghan-trained Positive Energy.