NATIONAL Hunt fans will be praying Naas passes a 7.30am inspection this morning with both Warwick and Newbury already called off today.

If the Kildare track does get the go ahead, there is a decent card for punters, and with regard to Cheltenham, Elimay will be the focus of attention in the Listed BBA Ireland Limited Opera Hat Mares Chase (1.40).

The J.P. McManus-owned and Willie Mullins-trained mare is favourite for the first ever running of the Mares’ Chase at Cheltenham next month after she put it up to her 160-rated stablemate Allaho in the Grade 2 Horse & Jockey Chase at Thurles last time.

That is her only defeat in three starts over fences but represents a career best. A French import, she has been lightly raced during her three seasons at Closutton, but that is no bad sign for a Willie Mullins-trained mare and she can stamp her ticket to next month’s Festival with an impressive performance in today’s feature contest.

The owner’s racing manager, Frank Berry, said: “She’s a very consistent mare. Shattered Love will be no easy mare to take on, but Elimay is in good form and hopefully she’ll give a good account of herself.

“We’ll get this weekend out of the way before we make any plans. She’s in a few races over there (Cheltenham), but let’s see how we go on Saturday first. Willie is happy with her, so hopefully all goes well.”

Elimay is odds-on to gain her third chase win but faces a solid rival in Shattered Love, who is already a Festival winner. Indeed, the Mares’ Chase may well be come just too late for the Gigginstown mare considering she was a winner over the course and distance when taking the race known as the Marsh Chase back in 2018.

On her chance today, Elliott wrote in his Betfair blog: “This trip (two miles) is a bit on the short side for Shattered Love, but I am keen to get a run into her before the new mares’ chase at Cheltenham, and this looked a nice option for her.

“She’s in good form and has been ready to run again for the last few weeks, so I’m looking forward to getting her out again – and despite the distance not being ideal, I’d expect a good run from her. Elimay will be hard to beat, though.”

A race earlier on the card, Mullins and McManus team up with another French import, in the well touted Gentleman Du Mee. Second on both his starts for Guillaume Macaire in France, the five-year-old makes his Irish debut today and could set himself up for bigger targets this spring with an impressive performance.

Mullins doesn’t have a horse in the closing four-year-olds bumper which has allowed Patrick Mullins to ride the intriguingly bred Wild Hunt.

Bought by the connections who bought Sceptical from the same source, this Dubawi gelding cost just £7,000 despite being a full brother to triple Group 1 winning filly Wild Illusion. It will be fascinating to see how he goes on his track debut for Denis Hogan.

TEN days, four Covid-19 tests, two quarantines, a 734-mile round journey and a likely cost of well over €3,000 is what it has taken to get French Champion Hurdle winner Paul’s Saga to have a practice run in Britain ahead of next month’s Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Covid-19 restrictions and new Brexit regulations have caused complications but unforeseen freezing temperatures in Britain this week meant that the whole journey could have been all for nothing.Warwick had to abandon today’s card, but thankfully, with temperatures lifting tomorrow, the card has been rescheduled to Monday.

The David Cottin-trained mare holds top class French form and, all going well, she will be an intriguing runner in the Stayers’, for which she will receive a 7lb mares’ allowance and is a best priced 16/1 shot.

Speaking to The Irish Field, Irish native Jason Kiely, who has been tasked with overseeing Paul’s Saga’s complicated journey, said: “It’s been a bit of an ordeal alright but it’ll be worth it if she wins (on Monday). We wanted to get a bit of practice into her in Britain, let her jump the hurdles here.

Options

“We don’t really have many options for her at home with Auteuil only starting in March but it’s nice that Warwick have a race for her and everyone at the track has been great since I’ve come over with her.

“She needs soft ground and has been given quite a high mark but she is a Grade 1 winner and she definitely deserves her place in a race like the Stayers’ Hurdle.”

Paul’s Saga was installed the 1/3 favourite for the Close Brothers Warwick Mares’ Hurdle this week and will be ridden by champion jockey Brian Hughes.

EXETER hosts a number of big fields for an eight-race card tomorrow as a number of trainers scramble to get a run into their horses following the spate of cancelled fixtures recently due to poor weather.

Colin Tizzard is one trainer who will be desperate to get his horses out after finally finding some form in the last two weeks. After a wretched period of 44 days and 47 runners without a winner, the Dorset handler has sent out three winners in recent days and unleashes some well-known names tomorrow.

The most interesting of his quintet of runners is Killer Kane, who made £300,000 at public auction after his four-year-old maiden win for Donnchadh Doyle at Ballycahane, and now makes his second start for Tizzard in a novice hurdle (2.10).

Exeter tipping on page 63.