Johnny Ward's Irish Angle: Horse racing tips for Navan on Saturday

How great it is to have On The Wire back on the weekend before Cheltenham, but our first show back focusses on three cracking cards in Ireland - including Navan on Saturday and Naas on Sunday.

Two of J P McManus' main hopes at the County Meath track take my eye on Saturday, while there will be more tips for Naas on Sunday and throughout next week when we'll all be watching on Racing TV - the first Cheltenham Festival in which live, in-race timing information will be broadcast on-screen and published online.

Enjoy the weekend.

Here's an across-the-card "veterans double" that will go over the head of most: the ten-year-old Eamon An Cnoic for David Pipe in the Imperial Cup and the 13-year-old Youngnedofthehill here. One is essentially named after the English version of the same Irish lament, based on the woes of a seventeenth-century Irish aristocrat by the name of Eamon Ryan.

I don't think either will win, but I suggest that Djasek will. The Rip Van Winkle-bred was very eye-catching in second two runs back and stayed on all the way to the line in a big run at Naas last time. He's off the same mark and still only five.

He's been quiet enough this season but his comeback over hurdles suggested all remains well with this course winner, who was also impressive in landing a gamble - despite being dropped back to the minimum trip - at a very similar course in Naas 12 months ago.

He has to be forgiven a bad run in the Thyestes, but that's easily done and there are doubts about most of these.

This horse has a really nice way of going about his business and he found plenty to win over fences in mid-December.

I'm forgiving him a quiet run over hurdles afterwards given the stable was under a cloud. Gavin Cromwell's animals are now healthy again and he creeps in here off ten stone.