Sunday Irish Preview: Graded racing at Naas

We could witness a bit of daylight robbery at Naas on Sunday as North Yorkshire trainer Micky Hammond has identified a cracking opportunity for his Just Cameron in the Grade 3 two-mile chase at 4.20pm, one which could see him have one over on five Irish trainers, among them Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead. Just Cameron got back to winning ways in a handicap at Wetherby last time and, in receipt of weight from his most significant form rivals Clarcam (Elliott) and Alisier d’Irlande (de Bromhead), he has 9 lb to play with on the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings. The form of that victory has been franked too, with the runner-up Grey Gold (in receipt of 3 lb from Just Cameron on the day) winning a similar race at Sandown next time.

Alisier d’Irlande’s ratings has a ‘?’ attached after he’s finished last on both his starts since unseating at Navan in December. Clarcam has been kept busy and won a four-runner minor chase at Clonmel on his penultimate start, before showing form close to his best when second of four to Ballycasey in the Grade 2 Red Mills Chase at Gowran last Saturday. He looks the biggest danger to Just Cameron, for all that Westerners Son and the veteran Smokey Joe both won their last starts and Pairofbrowneyes is consistent.

The other graded race on the card, the Grade 2 Paddy Power Onside App Novices’ Hurdle at 3.50pm, is much more competitive on the ratings. Narrowly top-rated is Labaik, but he’s arguably the most risky proposition in training at the moment having refused to race on four of his last six starts combining the Flat and jumps (though did win the other two). Joey Sasa and Peace News are both confirmed as useful performers, but neither is obviously open to more improvement, unlike the other four runners in the line-up, even including Conrad Hastings and Pravalaguna who both finished well held on their most recent outings. The most interesting horse in the field is Ted Walsh’s Any Second Now who overcame odds of 66/1 when making a winning hurdling debut at Navan in December and then turned over the odds-on Crack Mome in the Grade 2 Moscow Flyer Novices’ Hurdle at Punchestown in January.

There’s also a good-quality novices’ handicap chase at 3.20pm, for which A Great View is Timeform top-rated. Denis Cullen’s six-year-old showed improved form over fences (matched the pick of his hurdling exploits) when winning a two-mile novice at Down Royal last time, despite shaping as if the test was barely adequate. Returning to two and a half miles will surely suit him, though he’s not the only runner representing J. P. McManus, as the owner also runs the Tom Taaffe-trained Peoples Park and Edwulf from the Joseph O’Brien yard. Another runner with strong form claims is Catalaunian Fields, whose jockey will wear the second colours of Gigginstown House Stud (they also run General Principle).

Another horse to watch on the day is Gigginstown’s Monbeg Worldwide in the closing bumper. He won a maiden on point his debut and has also landed both his outings in National Hunt Flat races, at Roscommon and Cork, beating next-time-out winner Quick Grabim on the latter occasion.