Paul Townend column: the inside track on my Sunday rides

Betway ambassador Paul Townend discusses his three rides at Naas on Sunday, including the return of Kopek Des Bordes in the Barberstown Castle Chase, live on Racing TV.

I’m looking forward to heading to Naas on Sunday for three really exciting rides, and it’s looking like we should have some nice ground there for them, which is helpful. It’s been so difficult for ground staff everywhere after the summer we’ve had, and it’s not easy for trainers either because the horses are there, ready to run, but you simply have to err on the side of caution, particularly with your good winter horses.

The knock-on effect could be that we have some really competitive races over the next few weeks because everybody is going to have to take each other on, and these good horses need to have a run ahead of those big races at Christmas. The next month or so could be very exciting for National Hunt fans.

1.00 Naas: Love Me Tender

Love Me Tender won well at Listowel in September. (Pic: Healy Racing)

The first of my three rides on Sunday at Naas is Love Me Tender / in the Novice Hurdle (13:00), and he couldn’t have been any more impressive when making a winning start over hurdles at Listowel in September. I can’t say he surprised me all that much, to be honest, because he’s a horse we think plenty of, and we were hoping he’d go and win well at Listowel, and that he did.

He really misbehaved the time before in the Ebor at York, but he still wasn’t beaten all that far there, so that was an indication of just how much raw ability this horse has.

As impressive as he was at Listowel, he left a bit to work on with his jumping, and he’s done plenty of schooling at home since, so hopefully he’ll be even better here. He might need to be, though, because this is undoubtedly a much deeper race.

Bartholomew is a horse I was impressed by last season, and he ran really well behind Saratoga in the Grade 1 at the Punchestown Festival. Bunker Buster is one I’d have plenty of respect for too because I saw a few interviews with the Byrneses after his win at Limerick last month, and I could tell he’s a horse they think plenty of.

We do think plenty of Love Me Tender too, though, and we’re hoping he’s going to be a horse for all those big days through the winter and into the spring. Hopefully, he can make it 2-2 over hurdles this weekend.

2.39 Naas: Kopek Des Bordes

It’s then the return of Kopek Des Bordes / in the Barberstown Castle Chase (14:39). I suppose he’s on a little bit of a retrieval mission after how his season ended last year, but he’s still a horse with an immense amount of ability.

His season was far from ideal last year, but despite that, he did plenty right at Cheltenham in the Arkle and if it wasn’t for that mistake at the last, I believe he’d have won it.

Of course, it wasn’t great to come down as he did at Punchestown, but he was a novice, and novices are entitled to make mistakes, so we’re just hoping he’s learned from them.

He’s always been a bit of a buzzy horse, but a year older and with more experience now, hopefully he might just settle a bit better and keep his mind on the job. He has been to the Cheltenham Festival twice and handled that aspect well, so it’s not a major concern for us.

We take on Irish Panther of Eddie and Patrick Harty’s, who is a very good horse, so he’ll keep us honest, and I thought Jack Kennedy gave Bowensonfire an unbelievable ride at Cheltenham, so this won’t exactly be a penalty kick.

We all know the ability Kopek Des Bordes has, though, so if he jumps well and runs to form, we’d be hoping he can get his campaign off to a winning start.

3.13 Naas: Anzadam

Anzadam is set to make his chasing debut on Sunday. (Pic: Healy Racing)

We then wrap up with Anzadam / in the Beginners’ Chase (15:13), and I think this is going to be a really exciting race to watch because there could be plenty of pace in it. Eachtotheirown has a tendency to get on with things, and my lad has run away with Patrick Mullins in the past, and not many horses would get the better of Patrick, to be truthful with you.

Anzadam is a horse with plenty of ability, and he’s got one hell of an engine, but he probably just didn’t make it to the very top over hurdles because he was letting himself down. You’ve got to do things the right way at Grade 1 level, and he probably just wasn’t doing that consistently enough, but hopefully fences will improve him in that regard.

My only slight concern for Naas this weekend is that I think he’s a bit better on softer ground, so there’s a chance he’ll find it a bit quicker than he’d like, but he’s the highest-rated of these over hurdles by some way, so hopefully he’ll get away with it.

As I say, he wasn’t quite at that top Grade 1 level over hurdles, but he wasn’t far off it, so if he does improve for going chasing, he could be one to take a very high rank in the novice chasing division this season because the engine is definitely there.

Racing TV encourages responsible gambling - to find out more click here to head to our dedicated website page.