Saturday Racing Tips: Naas and Fairyhouse

There’s something for every Irish horse racing enthusiast on Saturday, with seven-race cards scheduled over the jumps at Fairyhouse and on the Flat at Naas.

Our expert has provided selections across the two fixtures, two coming on the Flat and one over jumps.

Saturday’s Tips

14:00 Naas - Cape Cod @ SP

If Aidan O’Brien’s Cape Cod is anything like as good as his current official mark of 92 suggests, he’s going to be hard to beat in the opening Irish EBF Maiden at Naas, which is part of the Smullen Series.

A son of the now sadly deceased Wootton Bassett, he was never involved on his debut over 6f, but he’s made significant progress in two subsequent starts, finishing third over a mile at Punchestown before finding just one too good upped to 1m1f at The Curragh a fortnight ago when he had the reopposing Enceladus behind.

He was beaten at odds-on in the latter of those outings, but he failed to convince he stayed that trip fully and should be happier now returning to a mile, while Jack Cleary takes a very handy 5lb off his back.

This has been a profitable race for the O’Brien yard in recent seasons, winning four of the last 10 runnings, including two of the last three.

15:50 Naas - Powerful Notion @ SP

Andrew Slattery’s Powerful Notion didn’t run badly in the face of a stiff task in the Group 1 Flying Five Stakes at The Curragh last month and should find this Listed feature at Naas much more to his liking.

The three-year-old has to shoulder a penalty for his win in this grade at Cork in June, but he remains relatively lightly raced and open to improvement. He finished behind Joseph O’Brien’s reopposing Fandom at Tipperary in August, but he had valid excuses for that defeat having sustained superficial cuts and finished lame having got worked up in the stalls.

Despite that, he only came home one-and-a-half lengths behind that rival and retains the potential to win at Group level.

16:40 Fairyhouse - Truckers Cruising @ SP

The majority of the runners in this 2m handicap hurdle have something to prove and it looks a good opportunity for the Gordon Elliott-trained Truckers Cruising to open his account.

The seven-year-old has run only eight times under rules so far and just once for this stable - finishing an encouraging fifth of 16 over 2m3f at Navan. He had a first-time tongue-tie on that occasion and travelled kindly for a long way, briefly moving into second place after the second-last.

Stamina ultimately ran out soon afterwards, so this drop in trip looks in his favour. He’s been left alone by the handicapper on 95 and that gives him a real chance, having run to Racing Post Ratings of 92, 91, 95 and 90 in four of his last five outings.