NAP of the Day: Gentleman De Mee can return to winning ways

Monday is set to be a busy one, with no fewer than six meetings taking place across Britain and Ireland. With plenty of action to sink our teeth into, it won’t be hard to find our best bet of the day. Catterick, Southwell, Windsor, Wolverhampton, Killarney and Roscommon host the racing across the day.

Killarney’s seven-race card appears to be the most interesting of the lot, especially their Grade 3 feature race. A field of 11 has been declared for it and it could be a pretty wide-open affair, but the big guns Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott are both represented.

Monday’s pick is set to line up in Killarney’s An Riocht Chase, for which there is a total prize fund of €55,000 on offer, and it could be another graded success for the great Willie Mullins. He’s represented by one runner and Harry Cobden heads over for the ride.

18:37 Killarney

Willie Mullins has a very good recent record in this race, winning three of the last four renewals, and he looks well set to come out on top again here. GENTLEMAN DE MEE brings a high level of form to the table and a return to winning ways is anticipated.

The 10-year-old returned to form with a very respectable fourth in the Topham Chase at the Aintree Festival last month, a race which he won off a 3lb lower mark the previous year. His three previous efforts had been a little underwhelming and he seems to thrive in the spring.

It’s worth noting that the handicapper has him as the joint-highest rated runner in the race and it’s difficult to argue with that assessment. Those with good memories will remember that it wasn’t too long ago that he was a very competitive Grade 1 chaser over two miles.

In fact, he was a seven-length winner of the Dublin Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival back in 2023 and he went on to finish second in the Champion Chase at Cheltenham the following year. That level of form is beyond anything his 10 rivals can bring to the table.

Third in this race two years ago, he was outstayed on that occasion by Ash Tree Meadow and French Dynamite, but the son of Saint Des Saints is a much stronger stayer over this sort of trip these days, and the level of opposition looks slightly weaker this time around.

Speaking of the opposition, Gordon Elliott’s Three Card Brag has the same mark as Gentleman De Mee but is better over further and is likely to be outpaced here. Jack Kennedy has picked Sa Fureur and his Red Mills Chase second is a solid enough piece of form.

Jesse Evans is hard to place these days, but is good enough to make his presence felt, and Senecia is a Grade 2 winner but isn’t always the most consistent. Therefore, Gentleman De Mee gets the nod, and he’s well set to earn a first graded success since 2023.

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NAPS table with Betfred Insights.