Irish racing tips for the weekend There's plenty of Irish racing action to look forward to this weekend, with Navan hosting an eight-race jumps offering on Saturday before Limerick (jumps) and Naas (Flat) take over on Sunday afternoon. We've picked out a trio of runners to follow, including Eastern Legend as he seeks to open his hurdles account for trainer Jim Bolger after contesting home hot races in recent months. Navan 1.40 - Eastern Legend @ SP Navan 3.20 - Butch Cassidy @ SP Navan 4.30 - Bleu D'enfer @ SP Bolger's Eastern Legend ready to win The opener at Navan on Saturday is the Mongey Communications Maiden Hurdle and it should provide Jim Bolger's EASTERN LEGEND with a chance to get on the scoresheet. The Teofilo gelding was useful on the Flat, gaining a rating of 97, and got within four lengths of Kargese in the Champion 4YO Hurdle at Punchestown last May on second start over timber, that rival enjoying success in the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival this month. This season, Eastern Legend has been second-best in maiden company over course and distance in December and then again at Naas soon after. Even better followed with a bronze medal behind Romeo Coolio in the Grade 1 Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas. Last time out he unseated in another Grade 1 at the Dublin Racing Festival, won by subsequent Supreme Novices' hero Kopek Des Bordes. His sights are lowered dramatically now and Keith Donoghue's partner should be good enough to take full advantage. Butch Cassidy can turn things around The Irish Stallion Farms EBF Novice Hurdle on the Navan card will have C'est Ta Chance (Willie Mullins) and Cardcounter (Gordon Elliott) as likely favourites, but don't discount BUTCH CASSIDY for the Henry De Bromhead team. The Walk In The Park gelding won a bumper at Ballinrobe last spring on his debut and followed up at Punchestown (2m3½f, soft) in a maiden hurdle in November, beating a couple of subsequent winners into second and third spots. That was enough to prompt a tilt at the Grade 1 Lawlor's Of Naas Novice Hurdle in January, but he was always towards the rear in that contest and never any sort of factor as The Yellow Clay won for Gordon Elliott, with last week's Albert Bartlett winner Jasmin De Vaux only fourth. The De Bromhead team were out of sorts at that time but we've seen already this month that much better can now be expected from runners emerging from Knockeen and an improved showing is very likely now. Crawford hoping to sing the Blues The Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Novice Handicap Chase Final is a typically competitive contest, with 16 runners engaged in the battle for the €36,000 top prize. One that could outrun decent odds is BLUE D'ENFER for trainer Stuart Crawford in the double green silks of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede. The seven-year-old has proved consistent in this code, with figures of 42422 in five runs this season at trips ranging from 2m-3m. His two most recent efforts yielded runner-up finishes in small-field novices' contests at Carlisle and he finds himself on a workable mark of 120 now. This is the longest trip he will have tackled but he was coming home very strongly last time over 2m5f and with Danny Mullins returning in the saddle here, he's likely to have a say in the finish. Get €60 in FREE BETS with the BetVictor sign up offer:
