Wide open handicap hurdle the feature at Navan The €45,000 Navan Handicap Hurdle is the feature on a seven-race card this afternoon at the County Meath venue and the 20-runner 2m4f event has a wide-open look with bookmakers generally going about 5/1 the field. A trio of lightweights are at the head of the market with Koori Star, Blaze The Way and Music Of Tara all closely enough matched in the betting. The action gets underway at midday with the Race Displays Rated Novice Hurdle and Ballygunner Castle, trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by his nephew Danny, has been supported from 15/8 into 6/4. The following NavanRacecourse.ie Maiden Hurdle has been reduced to just five runners from an initial declaration of nine, with Forty Coats and Kainsbourg now disputing favouritism at around the 11/10 mark. Philip Rothwell and Tiernan Power Roche have teamed up for three winners in the past 48 hours and Cullenwaine is a solid 2/1 favourite to provide the pair with another success in the Gormanlough Handicap Chase at 2.55. The concluding bumper could prove a lively betting heat with point-to-point winners Sine Qua Non and Spinnngayarn along with newcomer Eachtotheirown and Dream Diamond, who boasts some strong hurdle form, all worthy of close attention in the market. The going at Navan remains soft with a dry day forecast.
