Beat The Bat landed the place for us at 25s on Saturday at Newbury but our other two selections bombed out. I was fuming when Royale Margaux went and won, I talked myself out of tipping her on account of there being only two places on offer. A 25/1 winner slipped through our fingers, extremely frustrating. I am going to throw a couple of e/w darts on Sunday, check out my 2025 Navan Boyne Hurdle meeting preview & tips below.
2.10 – Apple’s Jade Mares’ Novice Hurdle (Listed)
She is shorter than the horses I usually put up but odds of
17/2 about Grainne A Chroi are too tempting to turn down. This is a horse that
first came to my attention when I was doing the spotlights for the Racing Post
for the maiden hurdle she ran in at Tramore.
She ran a cracker that day behind Karniquet and
Downmexicoway and the way she was ridden suggested that connections were aiming
for a place rather than a win. She finished 12l behind the winner but only 0.5l
behind Downmexicoway and if she was ridden like she was when winning last time
out at Clonmel, I think she could have got a lot closer to the Mullins’ horse.
Downmexicoway has since franked that form, beating
Scalpnagoon by 10l in a maiden at Downpatrick and he further boosted the form
by winning on Saturday at Naas. Karniquet finished runner-up behind the
mightily impressive Kopek Des Bordes in a Grade 1 at the DRF and he was 9l
clear of the third so that Tramore form doesn’t look too shabby now.
The heavier the ground, the better for this daughter of
Mount Nelson and she has placed form over 19f in bumpers so I am not too
concerned about her getting the trip today. My biggest worry is that she might
be ridden to get some black type in third but I don’t think she has much to
fear from any of today’s rivals so at odds of 17/2, back Grainne A Chroi e/w.
Navan Sunday Tip: Grainne A Chroi e/w @ 17/2 NAP
2.40 – Boyne Hurdle (Grade 2)
This is certainly not a vintage renewal. The 2022 winner
Thedevilscoachman bounced back to form in a big way behind Rocky’s Diamond at
Gowran Park 17 days ago and if he can back that up, he should win. However, if
you look at his overall profile that is far from guaranteed.
Maxxum, one of three for Gordon Elliott, was back in sixth
at Gowran, over 8l behind the Meade horse, and he has won over this C&D
too. However, he may not relish the forecast soft to heavy ground at Navan so
he doesn’t make much appeal at just 9/2.
Former Gold Cup here Minella Indo hasn’t run over hurdles
since 2019. He has won both his previous starts here over the bigger obstacles
but he’s a 12yo now and this is surely just a stepping stone for him as he will
likely be heading back to Aintree for the Grand National in the spring after
his fine run in the race last season.
Meet And Greet finished second in this race in 2023. I
thought he might go on and win a Grade 1 at some point but he lost his way
somewhat. He did bounce back to form with a nice win at Limerick over Christmas
but as is the case with Maxxum, this ground might be soft enough for him.
Farren Glory will go on
the ground but he is burdened with a 9lb penalty for his Grade 1 win last season and he
might need to get his eye in back over hurdles after four chase
starts this season.
Riviere d’Etel likes it here and will handle the testing
conditions. She gets a weight allowance too and given that there are more holes
in her rivals than there is in a jumbo packet of polo mints, she may be the
safest bet. At 9/1, she is worth chancing each way.
Navan Sunday Tip: Riviere d’Etel e/w @ 9/1
3.12 – Gibney’s Handicap Hurdle (110 = 11st 12lbs)
The one I am tempted by at a nice price here is the mare, Cooltubrid Eva. Trained in Waterford by Diarmuid Ryan, this horse was mugged on debut in a Limerick maiden hurdle on dire ground by the now 130+ rated Judiceuse Allen.
It is fair to say that things haven’t exactly gone to plan since
but she showed a tiny bit more on her second handicap start at Cork last month
and if she can build on that, she might be able to sneak into the money here.
She was beaten 15.5l for the win that day but she got 4lbs
back from the assessor and with Philip Donovan claiming 5lb, she is effectively
9lbs lower today. By Champs Elysees, her dam’s best effort on the track came over
today’s trip of 2m6f and her grand dam is a half to Cornish Sett, the runner up
in the 2008 Welsh National. Her pedigree suggests she’ll appreciate this step
up in trip and her run style gives similar vibes.
This is a weaker contest than her last race and if she doesn’t
get too far back early, hopefully Cooltubrid Eva can stay on late up the Navan hill and hit the frame here at odds
of 25/1.
Navan Sunday Tip: Cooltubrid Eva e/w @ 25/1 (4 places)
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