Meade Very happy with Wood Noel Meade's Very Wood takes the next step up the ladder in the Boylesports.com Quick Bet Racing 'For Auction' Novice Hurdle at Navan on Sunday. Very highly regarded by Gordon Elliott, who won a point-to-point and a Punchestown bumper with him, the Gigginstown House Stud-owned gelding then moved to Meade. The Tu Va handler started him off at a lowly level in a Galway maiden hurdle, where he coped with the heavy ground well to win unextended. He faces sterner opposition at the weekend, with Eddie Harty's exciting Minella Foru and Pat Shanahan's King Of The Picts meriting plenty of respect. "He only ran a fortnight ago at Galway and we're hoping that will have brought him on," said Meade. "He'll be better over a bit further, but Navan is a good stiff two miles and we'll take our chance. He's the type that will make a nice staying chaser in time, but he's in good form and we're very happy with him." Shanahan's challenger was a good winner of a Grade Three at Tipperary last time out and because of that his task is made far harder with a 7lb penalty.. The trainer said: "He was good in Tipperary and has come out of the race well. He goes on most types of ground, but wouldn't be a very heavy ground horse. Yielding to soft is probably his ideal ground. "If they get rain it shouldn't do too much harm as it's an early race."
