Now Is The Hour targets Leinster National Glory at Naas

The Thyestes winner Now Is The Hour could bid for a huge handicap double this weekend, as he is one of four Gavin Cromwell-trained horses who remain in contention for the BAR 1 Betting Leinster National at Naas on Sunday, live on Racing TV..

It is the final jumps meeting of the season at Naas, and the feature race, worth a tasty €100,000 in prize money, is shaping up to be a cracking contest containing some classy staying chasers.

Now Is The Hour swooped very late to land the Thyestes at Gowran back in January, digging deep in the closing stages under Eoin Staples to deny Better Times Ahead by a head, and he will have to defy an 8lb higher mark should he turn up at Naas on Sunday.

Cromwell could also be represented by Bioluminescence. The mud-loving mare, who is owned by JP McManus, bumped into Dinoblue on her last visit to the track but is a previous Grade 2 winner over fences herself and is sure to be popular with punters should she show up. Born Braver and The Lovely Man complete the potential Cromwell challenge, the stable having won the race in 2024 with Hartur d'Arc.

Last year's winner Bushman's Pass is unsurprisingly on course for back-to-back wins in the event. He blossomed in this race last year under Phillip Enright when scoring at 12-1, and he is only 3lb higher in the handicap this time around.

Kinturk Kalanisi looked an unlucky loser in the race last year. Tom Gibney's charge was creeping into contention under Anna McGuinness when exiting at the second last, and his trainer is hoping for some compensation 12 months on.

Gibney said: "Hopefully Kinturk Kalanisi has a great chance on Sunday, and I do think he might have won had he stayed up in the race last year. He was going well when he came down, and I'd like to think he goes back there with a decent chance. It's sure to be a good race, but he's in good form and we're hoping for the best."

Willie Mullins won back-to-back runnings of the Leinster National in 2018 and 2019 with Pairofbrowneyes, and the record-breaking champion trainer has five to choose from this time around, including top weight High Class Hero. You Oughta Know, Sa Majeste, Shanbally Kid and Chosen Witness also feature among the list of entries.

Gordon Elliott also has five entries, with Search For Glory, The Enabler, Prends Garde A Toi, Patter Merchant and Ballybow making up his quintet. With €100,000 worth of prize money up for grabs, races like this could have a big say in the trainers' title championship, in which he still has a handsome lead.

The Grade 3 BAR 1 Betting "Better Prices On Self-Service Betting Terminals" Kingsfurze Novice Hurdle has been won by Mullins for the last two years in a row, and his sole entry on this occasion is Davy Crockett, who exploded onto the hurdling scene with a stylish success at the Galway Races last summer but has since been beaten in a Grade 1 at the Dublin Racing Festival.

The Noel Meade-trained Blake brings some cracking form to the table and already boasts a rating of 139, while Elliott has entered Lazare De Star and Tip Of The Wings.

Subsequent Grade 1 winner Irish Point won this race for Elliott in 2023, while Cartwright in 2018 and Sutton Place in 2016 have also done the business for the Cullentra House camp in the last decade.

The BAR 1 Betting Leinster National Day this Sunday marks the final jumps meeting of the season at Naas. The first race goes to post at 2pm, and racegoers can secure their early bird ticket online for just €15 — don’t miss your chance to be part of a thrilling afternoon of top-class National Hunt action.