2023 Naas November Handicap Meeting Tips – DS
2023 Naas November Handicap Meeting Tips
I was quite hesitant to put up a 10/1 shot yesterday but I’m Certainly glad I did. Jehangeer also ran a cracker to place at 25s after suffering interference and he is one to follow next season on easy ground. Geremia lost six or seven lengths at the start and that extra ground he had to make up cost him in the last furlong. Hopefully we can continue in the same vein on Sunday, 2023 Naas November Handicap meeting tips are below.
1.40 – Irish EBF Maiden (2yo)
The two O’Brien runners are the clear form picks on this heavy ground. The form of Joseph’s Il Pelligrino’s debut 2nd has since been franked in fine style by Pipsy. Aidan’s Emperor Of Rome was 2L behind in third in that same race but he since ran down the field in a C&D handicap (had excuses). It would be a surprise if one of those two didn’t win.
Goal Exceeded has run well on both starts over 6f and 7f. The run over 7f came here and he was only beat 2.5L. However, those two runs both came on good ground and no Iffraaj x Exceed and Excel damsire bred horse has won on soft/heavy ground in the UK or Ireland.
Third up for grabs
That means third might be up for grabs and the one I’ll be taking a chance on at a price is Tobarnault. Mark McNiff isn’t renowned for producing winning debutants on the level but one of the rare occasions he pulled it off was with this lad’s half-brother, Secret Vision. Also a gelding, he hosed up in a Gowran maiden on soft over a mile at 33/1. Coincidentally, he will be running at Sha Tin on Sunday morning.
This fella is by Dandy Man, a sire capable of producing decent juveniles. He wears a tongue tie, which is a bit disconcerting but he may just have been working better at home in one. Gavin Ryan, who rode the half-brother, is booked for the ride so that must rate as a positive. The 6f trip is a worry but at the odds, Tobarnault is worth chancing e/w for small stakes.
2023 Naas November Handicap meeting tips: Tobarnault e/w @ 33/1 (half stakes)
2.15 – Irish EBF Auction Series Final (2yo)
Another sales race but this time I’ll spare you. No bet.
2023 Naas November Handicap meeting tips: No bet
2.50 – Garnet Stakes (Listed)
The filly that makes most appeal in this Listed contest is Flame Of Eire. Trained by Andy Slattery and ridden by Slattery junior, this daughter of Mehmas rose rapidly through the handicap ranks last season. On her second run in handicap company she won off 59 and she went on to add three more victories off 65, 74 and 78.
She finished off her campaign in this very race, beat 1.5L into fourth on soft ground and narrowly missing black type. That earned her a rating of 98 and she has been campaigned at Listed/G3 level (bar one handicap run) this season.
Admittedly, she found it tough going in her Listed and G3 starts subsequent to her sole handicap run but perhaps 9f and decent ground wasn’t to her liking. She took a big step back in the right direction in a Listed heat at Cork (8f sft/hvy) last time out and she might just be coming to hand.
A mile at Naas should suit better than at Cork and I’m sure connections will be desperate to nick a bit of black type. She is drawn in 14 so she’ll need to be quick from the stalls to get a decent early position. If she can manage that, hopefully she can go one place better than last year at odds of 25/1.
2023 Naas November Handicap meeting tips: Flame Of Eire e/w @ 25/1 (4 places)
3.25 – Bluebell Stakes (Listed)
Like Flame Of Eire, Blazing Skies ran in this race last season. Willie McCreery’s daughter of dark Angel finished a creditable 8th on heavy ground, 7L behind the winner. However, she was probably given too much to do and she was only a couple of lengths behind Yaxeni who finished in third.
I’d imagine Nathan Crosse’s mission that day was to play his mount late and to try and snaffle some precious black type. It didn’t quite work out and Billy Lee gets a shot at the title today. This season, Blazing Skies hasn’t quite hit the same heights as last year but crucially, she hasn’t had her ideal ground.
This filly is best in testing conditions. She has had three runs on soft, a 9L maiden win at Gowran (12f), a third in a mile maiden at Navan, and that fine effort on heavy in this race last year.
Her mark has fallen to 82 this season but she is better than that and she shaped like she was coming back to form on unsuitable ground at the Curragh two months ago. Black type would be huge for this filly for breeding purposes, hopefully Billy Lee can steer her into the frame at odds of 40/1.
2023 Naas November Handicap meeting tips: Blazing Skies e/w @ 40/1 (4 places) nap
4.00 – Handicap (3yo)
Just seven run and the longest priced horse is 11/1. A no bet race.
2023 Naas November Handicap meeting tips: No bet
4.35 – Apprentice Handicap (47-75)
At 16/1 it might be worth taking a punt on Team of Firsts in this 10f handicap. Formerly trained by Ger Lyons, for whom he was a C&D winner, he is now in the hands of Patrick Flynn. He’s been running in maiden hurdles most recently and he looks exceedingly well handicapped now returning to the level.
His win here in 2021 came off a mark of 86 at this very meeting (10f hvy). It was a 7L romp and with his young jockey’s claim, he is effectively racing off 20lbs lower here. He also finished 2nd at this track in a mile maiden behind Taipan, so he clearly likes it at Naas.
His form figures on ground with heavy in the description read 2119 with the 9th coming off 88 on his last run of 2022. Last time out at Gowran he ran a nice race in a maiden hurdle so he is in decent form coming into this. If he retains any of that old ability, he is capable of running a big race on ground he’ll love at 16/1.
2023 Naas November Handicap meeting tips: Team Of Firsts e/w @ 16/1
5.10 – November Handicap (Premier)
Unusually, the day’s feature is the last race on the card. Emmett Mullins struck in the Cesarewitch on Saturday and the money has come for Filey Bay, also owned by JP McManus. This ground has to rate as a huge worry for him though and he looks plenty skinny at odds of just 7/2.
One horse who won’t mind the ground is Crassus. Noel Meade is having a fine season and this fella seems to act on all sorts of ground. He bumped into a Ronan McNally special over 13f on heavy at Navan in March 2021 but he was since awarded that race.
His maiden hurdle win came on heavy, he was placed in a handicap hurdle on that type of ground too but he has also won on good over 18f on the flat so he is pretty versatile. That good ground win came off 73 and with Robert Whearty’s claim, he is just 2lbs higher today.
Another cause for optimism is Whearty’s record for Meade. He has had 14 rides for the yard, winning twice and finishing in the top four eight times. That’s a frame hitting strike rate of over 70%, hopefully he improves that on Crassus at odds of 25/1.
