It’s fantastic news that the Grade 2 Navan Novice Hurdle has been moved to Naas on Tuesday. As Navan fell to the cold weather, it’s good that this key race will take place. One runner is currently available at 33-1 for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. The runner in question will be looking to make a name for himself here and storm up the Cheltenham pecking order. If the horse puts in a big performance here, it’s unlikely that the 33-1 will be available for long. Check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
There are a couple of interesting contenders for this race but Inthepocket rates as the most interesting. Henry de Bromhead’s five-year-old will be bidding to stake a claim for Cheltenham in March when he steps up to 2m4f for the first time under rules. Rachael Blackmore is on board and this trainer/jockey combination can be lethal.
A son of Blue Bresil, he made a sparkling rules debut over two miles at Wexford. He won by six lengths and looked like a very smart horse in the process. The horse back in third has since boosted the form by winning easily at Fairyhouse on its next start. It’s likely to be significant that the horse looked better and better the further they went. Stepping up to 2m4f should suit him well on that evidence.
This horse also won his sole start in Irish points, scoring by a length-and-a-half at Moig South over three miles. Longer trips were always going to suit this promising gelding and he should thrive now with plenty of improvement expected.
A big win here would firmly establish his status as a contender for Cheltenham and the currently available price of 33-1 will be long gone. Now might be the last chance to get a huge price as he’s fully expected to maintain his unbeaten record despite the significant step up in grade.
If you back any of our selections you can watch them live on the free Racing Post app or racingpost.com. Simply log in to one of your bookmaker accounts and click ‘Watch live’ on the racecards.