Gentleman De Mee among class acts set for Naas this weekend

Gentleman De Mee begins what connections hope will be a path charting towards the Champion Chase in the Grade Three Barberstown Castle Poplar Square Chase at Naas on Saturday as a host of star names line up in the jumps season opener to the new campaign at the Grade One track.

The Willie Mullins-trained chaser claimed the scalp of Arkle hero Edwardstone for Grade One honours at Aintree last spring and the 164-rated Closutton resident has been given major targets.

“We’re hoping he’s going to be a Champion Chase horse and feature in all those Grade One two-mile chases so it would be great to start off with some good match practice before taking on the open company horses,” said assistant trainer Patrick Mullins earlier this week.

Gentleman De Mee will be partnered by Mark Walsh and face four rivals, headed by the Henry de Bromhead-trained Coeur Sublime who was runner-up in the Grade One Barberstown Castle Novice Chase at the Punchestown Festival last spring. Jeremys Flame (Gavin Cromwell), Francin (John Berry) and Gallant John Joe (Oliver McKiernan) also take their chances.

Fil Dor is an intriguing declaration for the Grade Three Pre-Order @ IrishRacingYearbook.Com Fishery Lane Hurdle and, after finishing second to perennial rival Vauban in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham, there had been suggestions that he would be pursuing a chasing career - but trainer Gordon Elliott has opted to remain over the smaller obstacles for now and targets a race previously won by future Champion Hurdle victors Jezki and Espoir D’Allen.

Elliott bids for a record fifth success in the race and said: "Saturday is a nice starting point in the season for Fil Dor.

“It’s been a lucky race for us the last few years so we wanted to run a nice horse in it again. It’ll be tough as he has to give weight away to the other four runners but it’s a good place to begin with him and it will tell us a bit about where we are going next.”

Brazil provided trainer Pádraig Roche with his first Cheltenham success in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle last spring and takes his chance in the four-year-old only contest, arriving here after his runner-up spot in the Grimes Hurdle in August behind Jesse Evans.

Lunar Power (Noel Meade) and Surviving Murmansk (Ann Marie O’Shea) are also declared and Prairie Dancer (Joseph O'Brien) completes the field of five after victory in the Lartigue Hurdle at Listowel and a good third in the Galway Hurdle prior to that.

“He’s had a good summer and ideally you wouldn’t want the ground to be shockingly heavy but he’s in good shape,” said O’Brien earlier this week.

“We were delighted with him in Listowel and before that in the Galway Plate so to go for a Grade Three is the next step. His rating puts him in the mix and we’re hoping for a good run.”

Grade One novice hurdle winner Three Stripe Life also gets his chasing career under way on an eight-race card that also includes the Grade B Brown Lad Handicap Hurdle in which a strong field of 19 has been declared.

Elliott said: “Three Stripe Life and Ballykeel run in the Beginners Chase and we’re looking forward to it.

Ballykeel has match fitness on his side which can be a plus at this time of year. It’s a really exciting time in the season to be starting off these horses.

“It was fantastic to win a Grade One with Three Stripe Life last year at Aintree and the horse deserved it after knocking on the door a few times. He’s in very good form and he’s been schooling well at home so we’re looking forward to getting him started over fences."