Nap of the Day: Blake brings the best form in the Kingsfurze

All eyes are on the Cheltenham Festival now, but the weekend action gives us plenty to look forward to before the highlight of the season kicks off on Tuesday.

Naas hosts a seven-race card in Ireland and Britain provides National Hunt fixtures from Carlisle and Warwick. Our expert has picked out their strongest fancy of the day and the horse in question runs in the Grade 3 Kingsfurze Novice Hurdle at Naas. The horse in question brings a high level of form to the table and may have been unfairly overlooked in the betting.

14:30 Naas - Blake @ 9/4

Gordon Elliott's Lazare de Star heads the market here, but punters could be on the wrong favourite. It's Noel Meade's BLAKE who brings the best form to the table and he has already performed well at a higher level than this.

He won a Down Royal maiden hurdle in good style on his first start over hurdles and the useful Road Exile, who has won a maiden and finished second in a Grade 2 since, was back in third that day. The Royal Bond was next on the agenda and he acquitted himself well.

Finishing second by a head that day, he only just failed to get up and a repeat of that form would surely give him every chance. A slightly better leap at the last would also have put him in pole position to come out on top but it was a cracking effort nonetheless.

Sports Welcome Offer

New customers only. 00:00 06/03/26 – 23:59 13/03/26. Deposit via Debit Card & place first bet £10+ (1/1)+ on Sports in 7 days. £20 Sports & £20 in Acca Free Bets within 24 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment excls & T&Cs Apply.

Sports Welcome Offer

New customers only. 00:00 06/03/26 – 23:59 13/03/26. Deposit via Debit Card & place first bet £10+ (1/1)+ on Sports in 7 days. £20 Sports & £20 in Acca Free Bets within 24 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment excls & T&Cs Apply.

The strongest piece of novice hurdle form in Ireland this season was probably the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival. Talk The Talk, Ballyfad and King Rasko Grey are all top novices and Blake was far from disgraced back in fifth.

Lazare de Star has been beaten in all three of his runs over two miles and his sole win came in a maiden hurdle over an extended 2m4f. A better test of stamina will suit him, so it's difficult to see why he's the favourite here, other than the fact that he's trained by Gordon.

Bumper winner Le Labo unseated his rider at Thurles in November and was a faller in a Cork maiden hurdle after that, although he was on course to win well beforehand. Jumping is the name of the game though, and that will surely be put to the test in this graded contest.

Willie Mullins' Davy Crockett looked very smart before the Dublin Racing Festival, but he was some 24 lengths behind Blake on that occasion, so it's hard to see him reversing the form.

Meade's gelding is more than good enough to win this contest and the weight conditions of the race are in his favour. Rated at least 8lb better than his five rivals here, he looks like the one to beat and won't need to improve in order to get the job done.

Click the link for all the latest Horse Racing Odds

Tune into Betfred Insights regularly to find our experts' Nap of the Day