Naas stages a typical Irish winter handicap hurdle on Sunday and the conditions will ensure this becomes a proper stamina test. Run over just shy of two miles on heavy ground, this 0-100 contest is unlikely to be pretty, but it should be informative.
Looking at recent renewals, the profile of the winner is fairly consistent. Horses aged five or six, rated in the low-to-mid 90s, carrying somewhere between 11-4 and 11-11, have dominated. That immediately brings Westandtogether into sharp focus.
The Denise Foster-trained mare arrives here after a career-best victory at Navan 28 days ago, where she won a handicap over nearly three miles in heavy ground. That performance is important for two reasons. Firstly, it confirmed she handles deep ground extremely well. Secondly, she stayed strongly through the line, suggesting toughness and stamina — two vital assets for races like this.
The handicapper has reacted with an 8 lb rise, but she still looks fairly treated on a mark of 95. More importantly, she is one of the few runners in the field arriving in form and with a recent win to her name. In races at this level that counts for plenty.
The drop back in trip to two miles is the obvious question. However, with the ground extremely testing and the likely pace only steady, this could easily turn into a grinding finish rather than a speed test, which should suit her.
King Bob is the obvious danger. He is attractively weighted off just 10-5 and shaped with promise when third at Punchestown in December. He travelled well that day before weakening late on, and the application of a first-time hood suggests connections are looking for improvement in how he settles and finishes.
The concern with him is that he has had chances and still remains winless over hurdles. He often travels like a well-handicapped horse but hasn’t yet proved he can finish the job.
Dunany Point is another with solid handicap form. His efforts last autumn were respectable and a repeat of his Punchestown run in October would put him firmly in the mix. The issue is the 145-day absence, which raises the possibility he may just need the outing.
Elsewhere, Might Be The One is consistent without being convincing, while several others in the line-up are either making handicap debuts or arrive with very little recent form.
Overall, this looks a race lacking depth and one where the runner with proven heavy-ground winning form stands out.
Westandtogether fits the race trends, arrives in form and has already shown she can battle through testing conditions. If she reproduces her Navan performance, she should take plenty of beating.
Selection: Westandtogether.