Nap of the Day: Shoda to shine back against the girls

It wasn't to be for Nap of the Day followers on Wednesday. A rare visit to the flat at this time of year didn't pay off, as the selection faded tamely soon after being delivered on the rail by Oisin Murphy at Kempton.

National Hunt racing returns on Thursday and it's to Clonmel I go looking to get back among the winners.

After a good run in a traditionally-strong maiden hurdle at Leopardstown on Boxing Day, SHODA is fancied to open her account back against her own sex at Clonmel on Thursday.

Joseph O'Brien's five-year-old was third in Dublin behind Gordon Elliott's impressive Ballyfad, 18/1 for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the upcoming Cheltenham Festival, and Willie Mullins' Leader d'Allier, who's held in high regard at Closutton.

That was the daughter of Nathaniel's third run over timber, having already placed in a couple of juvenile hurdles - including a Grade 3 at Naas just under 12 months ago - in the middle of a flat campaign that saw her reach a mark of 83.

She's been awarded a hurdles rating of 117 and remains open to significant improvement, given her age and inexperience.

It looks a winnable contest in County Tipperary, too, with only Radiator Springs and Crystal Gold to beat in my book.

The former, trained by Henry de Bromhead, was third in a Naas maiden won by Oldschool Outlaw, with Cheltenham Bumper heroine Bambino Fever a close third, on her rules debut and although she was over 11 lengths adrift, it was a good effort to build on.

Crystal Gold unseated on her last outing, at Limerick over the festive period, but her prior third to Gordon Elliott's Santo Sospir, who runs in the Munster Hurdle half-an-hour earlier on the card at Clonmel, could be a smart enough piece of form.

But there's just as much, if not more going for Shoda, who represents a team in great nick (O'Brien was very close to a Grade 1 hat-trick over Christmas).

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