NAP of the Day: My Mate Alfie to make winning statement at Naas

It's a busy start to the racing week with five meetings scheduled throughout the day across Britain and Ireland. Flat racing dominates, with turf cards from Ayr, Naas and Windsor joined by all-weather meetings from Lingfield and Wolverhampton.

Monday's NAP could be a sprinter worth following this season for Ger Lyons and he can showcase his potential with a winning comeback in the feature Listed race at Naas.

Naas 18:40 betting

Today's Horse Races

18:40 Naas – My Mate Alfie @ 6/4

Some good racing from Ireland on Monday evening comes on the Flat, ahead of the Punchestown Festival starting on Tuesday for the jumps farewell on the Emerald Isle as that man Willie Mullins looks to put the crown on another stellar season on both sides of the Irish Sea.

The feature race on Monday is the Listed Anglesey Lodge Equine Hospital Woodlands Stakes over 5f and we may see a strong start from Ger Lyons' four-year-old MY MATE ALFIE.

The gelded son of Dark Angel ended last season on a roll with a trio of wins at the Curragh and here.

The first of those came in a Premier handicap during Irish Champions Weekend and he duly followed up by scoring his first Group-race win back at Headquarters a fortnight later in the Group 3 Renaissance Stakes.

He foiled today's rival Big Gossey in the closing stages of that race, getting 2lb, and would confirm that superiority on 7lb worse terms when adding the Listed Steels Stakes at this track in October.

All three of those wins were gained over 6f but My Mate Alfie has the scope to drop to this minimum distance and the very testing nature of the track at Naas will almost certainly be an aid in that regard.

When they met over 6f in that autumn contest, My Mate Alfie and Colin Keane gave 5lb to Big Gossey, who was third, with Thunderbear splitting them. That form looks good as the runner-up went very close in Listed company at Doncaster on his final start of the season.

Big Gossey is race-fit after landing the Listed 7f Gladness Stakes at the Curragh on his return in March but all eight of his career wins on turf have come at that venue. By contrast, he's 0-8 at this track in the past including when well beaten in the previous two runnings of this contest.

My Mate Alfie is a four-year-old with his best days ahead of him and Lyons is unlikely to have him undercooked for this comeback as he drops to the minimum trip for the first time.

He can continue his dominance over Big Gossey and perhaps stamp a ticket to bigger targets in the sprinting division.

NAP Of The Day from Betfred Insights.