THE Grade 1 Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle has attracted 24 entries.

Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead have all enjoyed success in the race since it was upgraded to Grade 1 status and all are well-represented in the entries for the 2025 renewal on Sunday, January 5th.

Mullins has entered 14 of his team for the two and a half mile contest, including Sea Of Sands and Plontier, who were third and fourth respectively in the Bar One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse this month.

Last year’s winner, Readin Tommy Wrong, carried the familiar colours of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede for Mullins and those connections could be represented again by C’est Ta Chance and Karafon, who both impressed recently at Clonmel, and Navan winner Jasmin De Vaux.

Other potential Mullins runners that bring intrigue to the race are Salvator Mundi, who ran in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham last season and won his maiden hurdle at Tipperary by 62 lengths and Supersundae, who ran in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham last season before opening his account in Ballinrobe last May.

Henry de Bromhead looks to have some good options, as he bids to win the race for a second time. Butch Cassidy, who followed his point-to-point win by opening his account for de Bromhead at Punchestown, while Taponthego looked a horse with a bright future when scoring at Tipperary last month for the Both Sides Of The Water Syndicate.

Grade 2 Navan Novice Hurdle winner The Yellow Clay spearheads a small but select Gordon Elliott challenge. The Bective Stud-owned gelding has hardly put a foot wrong this term, when winning a Grade 3 and Grade 2 at Navan, while Grade 3 winner Bleu De Vassy and Naas bumper winner Wingmen are also entered for the Meath trainer.

Elliott, whose past winners of the race include Envoi Allen and Ginto, has also given an entry to Royal Bond Novice Hurdle runner-up Romeo Coolio.

“We definitely plan to have at least one runner in the Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle, if not two runners,” Elliott confirmed. “The Yellow Clay was good over the same trip at Navan the other day and this might be a good place to go with him and Wingmen would probably be well-suited to two and a half miles around Naas as well, so we have options.

“It’s always a good day at Naas and a race we’ve had a bit of luck in before, so we’ll see what happens over Christmas and have another crack at it with at least one of our runners. We’re lucky to have four nice horses to enter in it.”

The Andy Slattery-trained Fleur In The Park, who was a narrowly denied runner-up to The Yellow Clay at Navan last week, is also included, as is the locally trained Shuffle The Deck for Ted Walsh.

Brave Brigadier and Minella Post, who both ran well this week at Punchestown at big odds for Irish Grand National winning trainer, Tom Gibney, have also been put in the mix for Grade 1 honours at Naas.

The Naas card now also features the Grade 2 Racing Post Novice Chase, which could see some of Ireland’s leading two mile novice chasers battle it out on a brilliant day of racing on the first Sunday of the new year.