Going - Soft To Heavy (Heavy in places). Overcast with showers
Jackpot Pool - €4,250.00 Not Won. Carried forward to Fairyhouse on Sunday 16th January. Placepot Pool - €16,461.46 Dividend - €157.40 Winning Units - 78.43. Days Aggregate - €68,120.78 Last Year €44,051.68
Old McDonald has a future
Paddy shows his true colours at Naas
He disappointed at Leopardstown. I thought the way he travelled there that the one thing he'd do would be gallop to the line. Maybe he didn't see out the three miles but he didn't give us any impression beforehand that it (the trip) would be a problem. It was a 50/50 decision to run here as we were going to wait for the Boyne Hurdle at Navan (that will be his next start . next month). However he came out of Leopardstown so well for a horse that shouldn't have, that we decided to take a chance here and it paid off. Any day he has run well he has hit a flat spot and he has been a good servant. He'll go chasing next year (a point-to-point winner for Colin Bowe). I don't think Barry (Connell) is interested in bringing him to Cheltenham as he has disappointed a few times over there. Anyway the ground is essential to him - he wants it soft.
Roque too strong for Naas opposition
I'm delighted. He stays really well and a proper three miles is what he wants. Davy was always happy on him and it was a proper test today. The ground will decide a lot. He'll have an entry at Cheltenham and we'll see what happens in the meantime.
Darwins Fox is a smart one
I think he's a nice horse . I hope so anyway. I'm delighted with him, although he was getting weight and that played into our hands. To say I was surprised that he got beaten at Limerick (2nd to Stephanie Kate at Christmas) would be an understatement.
Benash defies top-weight in style
He is a good horse on heavy ground. We said before today that if he won we'd give him an entry in the Coral Cup and the Martin Pipe conditional riders handicap hurdle at Cheltenham. After that now he should get into one of those.
Rakamasi sees it out best
Knockgraffon wins the battle of the kings
He is a nice horse that stays well. He is from the same family as Denman and it took him a long time to come to himself. He was a big baby when he ran last year (runner-up to Priests Road at Fairyhouse last April). He was a little keen early today and I don't think he'll run in another bumper. I'll run him in a couple of hurdles and he'll go over fences then.
