Daly Tiger - Naas bound for Sunday© Photo Healy Racing
This Sunday is Paddy Power Festival Trials Day at Naas and the sponsor has priced up the opening Grade 3 WhatOddsPaddy? Chase (2.30pm) with the Willie Mullins-trained pair of Cilaos Emery and Bachasson heading the market at 6-4 favourite and 7-4 respectively.
Racing fans will be hoping that both possible Closutton candidates turn up for an exciting two-mile clash, but Tu Va handler Noel Meade can probably be forgiven if he hopes that one remains at home as he intends unleashing the progressive Daly Tiger, who is a 3-1 chance with Powers.
The eight-year-old was last seen in action when comfortably winning the Dan & Joan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase at Fairyhouse last month at 20-1, having been well beaten at the same venue in December.
The eight-time champion Irish jumps trainer said: “The plan, at the moment, is to run Daly Tiger in the WhatOddsPaddy? Chase. We weren’t surprised about Fairyhouse last time — he had won not the time before when he was very disappointing, but the time before that at Punchestown.
“We were expecting a better run and we got it and it worked very well. We went back to the race before and tried different things. We’re hoping that he can up himself up to Graded level.”
The chase course at Kildare’s county town’s racecourse is currently described as heavy for Daly Tiger, who has an entry in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival for which he is 50-1 shot with Powers.
Meade continued: “He wouldn’t like it very heavy — he’s not a big horse, but he seems to handle it okay.
“The Ryanair is not in the plan, at the moment, and we’ll wait and see what happens on Sunday. Maybe the Webster Cup at Navan could be a plan, but you never know, we might have a change of heart and think about Cheltenham, but it’s not in the plan.”
WhatOddsPaddy? Chase
Paddy Power: 6-4 Cilaos Emery, 7-4 Bachasson, 3 Daly Tiger, 10 Agusta Gold, Éclair De Beaufeu, 14 Chosen Mate, Court Maid, 33 Kildorrery, 66 Café Con Leche
