The feature at Navan this afternoon, the William Hill Top Price Guarantee Boyne Hurdle at 2.40, has generally been a race for younger horses lately but it won’t be that way this year with no runner younger than eight in the field.

With horses of that age involved, perhaps the best way into the race is to look at those that have run well in the race before. Thedevilscoachman won in 2022 and is well-suited by conditions, his record over hurdles on slow ground without headgear reading: 1511122 and the most recent of those efforts came when a good second in the Galmoy last month.

The concern is that run was only 17 days ago and came after a 10 month absence so he faces a tight turnaround while his price looks a fair reflection of his chance.

Perhaps MEET AND GREET offers better value at current odds. He was runner-up in the race in 2023 when in a rich vein of form in Grade 1 staying hurdles; he had finished third to Home By The Lee at Christmas before that and then finished fourth to Sire Du Berlais at Aintree in April.

He was then off the track for 593 days and presumably needed his first run back at Punchestown in December but he won next time at Limerick and while it was an ordinary contest, there were positives to take from it (replay below).

The steady pace over two-and-a-half miles looked against him but having been first off the bridle and looking like being left behind, he rallied well to win easily, the step up in trip today likely to suit, while his trainer suggested afterwards that he felt he would still need that run so there could be further improvement to come.

If back to the form of late 2022 and early 2023, which last time suggested, he should be competitive in what is a relatively weak running of the race.

The other feature is the William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Novice Chase at 3.45 where I would have Three Card Brag a little closer to Better Days Ahead in the betting. His soft ground chase form is strong and he came back to something like this best over course and distance last time, connections removing the blinkers that had lit him up in the Paddy Power and replacing them with cheekpieces that seemed to work better.

The opening Navan Ford & Opel Maiden Hurdle at 1.40 looks between Honesty Policy and Come Walk With Me. Both look like they will stay further than this two miles in time and the Elliott runner might have a little more scope to improve after shaping well from the second half of the field at Naas last time though his jumping will need to sharpen up.

Early prices for the William Hill Keep Your Raceday Positive Bumper at 4.55 are a little surprising with Returning Officer the favourite. He was a €100,000 buy as a store but is still in the colours of his trainer and he will need to run to a decent level to match the form of his new stablemate Coyote Spirit.

That one shaped well on his first two starts for another yard, including when giving He Can’t Dance (since third in the Grade 2 bumper at the DRF) a race here last time, and Gordon Elliott has since acquired him for one of his big owners.

His good run last time under the same conditions as last time suggest he should be involved here though there are plenty of others with chances such as Burrows Drive, Mount Mason and A Boy The Kid.

Published at 0910 GMT on 09/02/2025

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