Irish racing tips: Tony Keenan best bets for today at Naas

Irish racing tips: Sunday October 12

0.5pts e.w. Jetara in Evening Blossom in 4.20 Naas at 12/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4,5)

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Perhaps the most controversial horse of the Irish flat season finally reappears in the Colm White Bookmaker Beggar's End Handicap at 4:20, A Dream To Share having been involved in a lengthy standoff between the IHRB handicapper and connections over whether he was entitled to a mark after three flat runs.

Gary O’Gorman lost the battle in the end as he was forced to give the JP McManus-owned seven-year-old a rating, but he may have won the war as 103 bears little relation to what the horse has done on the flat, though he has excellent bumper form and may yet to be up to that level. He is a fascinating runner today, both in the race and the market (easy enough to back at 10/1 at time of writing).

The one that interests me in that Naas feature is another jumper, JETARA.

A classy staying hurdler, she has been brought gradually up in trip on the flat, and she looked to have improved at the most recent set of spring jumps festivals, something that a number of a family did with time.

She won a maiden over 12 furlongs on flat debut last November at the Curragh, beating one that is now rated 99, and both her recent runs on the level look to have been building to this. She stepped up on her return at Galway to go close last time at Listowel, form that leaves her nicely treated relative to current race favourite Sorrentino, allowing that there was a tactical change with that one for its Thurles win during the week.

Both her recent flat runs came on sharp tracks, but she has always been more suited by a galloping circuit while this extra distance is also in her favour as she stays three miles over hurdles while the pace setup here could be favourable too.

Despite the big field, there is relatively little pace, and she should be able to slot in well from stall eight when some of her main rivals must come from further back.

Rest of the action

Two Listed races for fillies and mares are the other main races on the card, and both have relatively short-priced favourites for the size of the fields.

In the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Garnet Stakes at 3:10, Swelter has strong form claims based on her Leopardstown Group 3 win in March, but she looked to be going the wrong way temperamentally in the Irish 1,000 Guineas when last seen and is a lot less appealing than It’s A Heartbeat in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Bluebell Stakes (3:45).

John O’Donoghue’s star filly has been visually impressive the last twice, her most recent win is backed up by a strong Timeform timefigure and the race working out, and she is the one to beat though this is reflected in the market.

Something to watch in these bigger fields will be where the runners come in the straight. There was the usual Naas bias towards the near side during their meeting yesterday, but there is a strip of fresh ground for today’s card over on the far rail.

There is a lot of interlocking form in the valuable Irish EBF Auction Series Race Final at 2:35 but Redemption Road looks a worthy market leader. There was not much between him and some of the others when they met at Tipperary in August, but he looked to have improved last time at Listowel when running well against a track bias.

On a day when all the winners were on the pace, he came from behind to finish a close second despite being trapped behind horses turning in and making his challenge on chopped up ground while also being hampered by the winner late in the race.

Listentodwindblow is another with decent claims. He shaped well over six furlongs on debut and the got caught out in the wrong wing when tenth in the Goffs Million last time. That run is better than it looks, and this is a drop in class.

Preview posted at 0848 on 12/10/25

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