Lawlor's Of Naas Novice Hurdle: runner-by-runner guide

The first Grade One contest of the year in the UK and Ireland,  theLawlor's Of Naas Novice Hurdle, has a long history of top-class winners. 

Golden Cygnet put down a marker for all when landing the 1978 renewal en route to Cheltenham Festival glory and in more recent years Envoi Allen and Bob Olinger have used it as a stepping stone to even bigger things. 

Sunday’s renewal hinges on a morning inspection, although you can be sure it will be rearranged if it does not get the green light this weekend. 

Willie Mullins seeks a tenth win in the race and is responsible for half of the eight-strong field. His principal hope, Jasmin De Vaux, presents punters with a conundrum as he won the Champion Bumper last season but jumped indifferently when winning on his hurdling debut. 

Naas is stiff left-handed track but does tend to suit horses who race close to the pace. Keep in mind that most recent winners have made all or raced prominently. It is rare for victors to pounce from off the gallop. 

Timeform rating: 140p. Usual running style (URS): Prominent. Odds: 9-2. 

He’s already fared better than the Butch Cassidy whose sole win came in a bumper at Sedgefield in 2000, plus has outperformed The Sundance Kid, who robbed just one race on the Flat in France. 

A half-brother to Fayonagh, the 2017 Champion Bumper winner, this Butch Cassidy has shown fighting spirit to land a bumper at Ballinrobe and a steadily-run maiden hurdle at Punchestown. The runner-up in the latter race disappointed at Leopardstown over Christmas (too bad to be true) but the third home, Shuffle The Deck, who reopposes, has subsequently scored at Naas. 

Butch Cassidy’s jumping lacked some polish, although he was good at the final flight when the temperature of the race was reached boiling point. He looks all over an embryo chaser but, for all his potential, the five-year-old may not be quite ready for this assignment. The last of his generation to win was a decade ago and 11 have tried and failed in the interim. 

Timeform rating: 147p. URS: Has front-run and been held up. Odds: 13-8. 

Willie Mullins will have plenty of other more imposing horses at Clustton but Jasmin De Vaux has shown he has a big engine tucked underneath his smallish bonnet, landing the Champion Bumper last season, having previously been a runaway winner here at Naas after easily winning his sole start in the point-to-point arena, at the expense of the useful Largy Poet. 

As ever, the Cheltenham form is working out well with nine of the support cast subsequently winning over hurdles, including such as Romeo Coolio, The Yellow Clay (who reopposes here), Royal Infantry and Bill Joyce. 

Jasmin De Vaux subsequently fluffed his lines at the Punchestown Festival, but he could not have been himself that day. The six-year-old put that behind him when winning a 25-runner maiden over 2m at Navan on his hurdling debut a month ago, although he could barely have jumped worse. 

His RaceiQ Jump Index score was just 4.6 out of 10, with the metrics revealing he surrendered seven lengths with his jumping at the first six flights. He lost 6.32mph or more at half of the eight flights and the minimum speed he lost at each jump was 3.71mph. More of that, later, when we get to Supersundae, his stablemate, who also lines up here. 

The second and third in that Navan contest have since won at Leopardstown over Christmas, while moving up in trip seems certain to suit a horse who looks more about stamina than speed. 

It’s hard to believe he can win a Grade One with a similar round of jumping, but we should not judge him too harshly on what was his first day at school and there’s no doubting his ability to sustain a gallop. 

Timeform rating: 139. URS: Prominent/mid-division.  Odds: 40-1. 

The nine-year-old was a globetrotting stayer on the Flat before joining Willie Mullins and, despite a late start over hurdles, has shown plenty of aptitude over Jumps. 

He won a 2m 4f maiden hurdle with plenty to spare at Sligo in August and then, after a couple of innocuous efforts on the level, was a creditable fourth in the Royal Bond at Fairyhouse last time, when 2m looked on the sharp side for him. 

Stepping back up in trip should help Plontier, but it will be disappointing if a nine-year-old with his busy background can upstage much younger rivals with far more upside than him. On jockey bookings, he’s the stable fourth string. 

Timeform rating: 137p. URS: Prominent.  Odds: 5-1. 

This JP McManus homebred won on his sole point-to-point in the spring of last year and confirmed the promise of his hurdling debut (third behind Butch Cassidy at Punchestown) when landing an 18-runner maiden hurdle here last time. 

Whether he had to show any improvement that day is debatable – the runner-up had finished further behind him at Punchestown -  although he won in tidy style and his jumping has been good. 

None of his siblings have been anything out of the ordinary and there’s no obvious reason why he should turn the tables on Butch Cassidy, who finished 5½ lengths in front of him and is open to as much, if not more improvement. The market has them closer together than I imagined. 

Timeform rating: 133p. URS: A mixture.  Odds: 40-1. 

Willie Mullins’ nine winners of this race since 2005 have included McKinley, who upstaged much better fancied stablemates at 33/1 a decade ago. Will Spasiba bely similar odds? 

McKinley was only a big price because he had disappointed at Leopardstown a week or so earlier – when not unfancied to strike at the highest level – but Spasiba has a Flat background and he was no more than workmanlike when landing a novice hurdle over 2m at Naas in November. His form on the level suggested he should have been winning with more comfort. 

His jumping was ordinary (his RaceiQ Jump Index score of 6 was second worst in the whole field) and Mullins observed afterwards that “maybe going right-handed would look the obvious thing to do”. He’s clearly had second thoughts. 

Danny Mullins picks up the ride and he guided Champ Kiely to victory for his uncle two years ago 

Timeform rating: 145+  URS: Made all latest.  Odds: 20-1. 

There seems little doubt that Jasmin De Vaux is the Mullins No 1 but he’s won this feature with perceived second and third strings three times in the past and I wouldn’t be in a hurry to dismiss Supersundae. 

His half-brothers include the top-class Supasundae (see what his connections did there?) and his dam is a sister to six Group winners, including Nathaniel, so he’s bred to have a touch of class. 

He was beaten in both of his races in France but Mullins saw enough in him to give him his first start for the stable in last year’s Supreme Novice Hurdle. He was beaten an aggregate of only ten lengths, despite not having run for 11 months. 

He made the most of a straightforward opportunity in a 2m 5f maiden hurdle at Ballinrobe a couple of months alter  The most striking feature of his performance that day was his fluent jumping. He gained almost six lengths in the air, with his RaceiQ Jump Index score being 7.7. 

He lost no more than 2.38 mph at any flight and, while ground conditions were different, his technique was clearly much more efficient than that shown by the more high-profile Jasmin De Vaux. 

This represents a much tougher task for Supersundae but fitness is unlikely to be an issue. Paddy Power cut him to 12/1 from 20/1 on Saturday, but the latter price is still available in places.  

Timeform rating: 149p. URS: Prominent/mid-division.  Odds: 100-30. 

He was a smart bumper performer, even if he had his limitations exposed at the big Festival meetings last season, including when sixth to Jasmin De Vaux at Cheltenham. He finished about 12 lengths behind him that day, although he raced up with pace in a contest where the principals came from off the gallop. 

The Yellow Clay is 3/3 over hurdles, jumping cleanly on his past two starts and displaying a good attitude. He only scrambled home in a Grade Two at Navan last time, although the runner-up got a canny ride in front. 

It looks like 3m will suit him in time, although his reserves of stamina and experience will stand him good stead here. We’ve had a glimpse of where his ceiling might be, but he should be in the thick of the action. 

Timeform rating: 135p. URS: Front-runner.  Odds: 20-1. 

He changed hands for £250,000 after easily winning his point-to-point this time two years ago and went on to show fair form in bumpers, including when winning in good style at Naas just over a year ago. 

His physique means he’s an archetypal “everything he does over hurdles is a bonus” horse and perhaps his connections should have just skipped the hurdling bit altogether because he seems to find them a challenge. 

A winning hurdling debut at Navan could not mask some sloppy leaping, and it was a similar story when he was brushed aside by Country Mile at Cheltenham last time. His Jump Index scores have been a miserly 4.1 and 4.3, with plenty of lengths left behind over the obstacles. 

After he won at Navan, Gordon Elliott suggested “he could be better going the other way.” But he’s still yet to switch to a right-handed venue. There’s better days ahead, but perhaps not on Sunday. 

Jasmin De Vaux will be hard to beat if putting in a more accomplished round of jumping but his price allows little margin for error. 

The Yellow Clay has looked efficient in that department and seems sure to run his race but the each-way alternative to the pair, assuming all eight runners stand their ground, looks SUPERSUNDAE, who makes appeal at 20-1.