Joseph O’Brien and Jessica Harrington have big-money international targets this weekend but will also try to maintain domestic turnover at Naas.
The Co Kildare track has adopted an “Oktoberfest” theme for its action on Saturday and Sunday to coincide with the famed Bavarian festival which took place recently.
Whatever about beer, lederhosen may be thin on the ground, but substantial prize money levels are topped by the €120,000 on offer for Sunday’s Auction Series final.
A field of 13 line up including Harrington’s Mo Gullie Mar and Uluru who has a first start for O’Brien having been purchased out of Kevin Coleman’s yard by Team Valor after an impressive Cork maiden win.
Willie Mullins set to take wraps off some of his biggest stars at Punchestown
Fact To File could head formidable JP McManus team into John Durkan test
Top amateur Derek O’Connor to team up with Fastorslow for John Durkan Chase at Punchestown
Stuzzikini puts seal on Gordon Elliott dominance with 20-1 Troytown success
The one to beat however could be King Cuan who has already landed a lucrative prize at Naas this season and represents Paddy Towmey and Billy Lee who memorably scooped the Goffs Million with One Look last month.
Sunday’s other big-money pot is the Colm White Bookmaker handicap where Dermot Weld’s lightly raced Brogue should relish testing ground conditions.
There are a pair of listed contests on Sunday and an interesting contender for the mile-and-a-half Bluebell Stakes is the English hope Gather Ye Rosebuds.
Trainer Jack Channon held classic hopes for her after a spectacular winning debut on testing ground at Newbury only for the filly to flop in the Musidora.
She won her only subsequent start at Hamilton where the first and second were well clear of the remainder.
Saturday’s Naas card includes the traditional Birdcatcher Nursery where promising apprentice Wesley Joyce takes a valuable 7lbs off Back Down Under at the bottom of the handicap.
Joyce’s successful return from serious injuries sustained at last year’s Galway festival has been a happily positive racing story this season and Something Nice could be another with a chance for the Limerick rider.
Before all of that occurs, the O’Brien trained Buckaroo will attempt to continue his young trainer’s remarkable run of Australian successes on Saturday morning.
O’Brien has engaged top local jockey Hugh Bowman for the sole Irish hope in the inaugural Group One King Charles III Stakes, a mile contest worth a massive five million Australian dollars (€3 million) that is run at Randwick in Sydney
The race is due off at 7.35am Irish-time and it will be a first start for Buckaroo since he chased home Flight Plan in a Group Two at Leopardstown during last month’s Champions Festival.
The new race is run on Randwick’s Everest programme with the feature contest worth €12 million, making it the world’s richest race on turf.
[ Willie Mullins warns of impact on racing from gambling advertising banOpens in new window ]
O’Brien has twice landed Australia’s biggest race, the Melbourne Cup with Rekindling (2017) and Twilight Payment (2020,) and he also won the Cox Plate with State of Rest in 2021.
Later on Saturday night, Harrington’s Sounds Of Heaven will take her chance in the $600,000 Grade One Queen Elizabeth Cup in Keeneland.
Shane Foley has travelled to take the ride in the nine-furlong fillies event won by Aidan O’Brien’s Together in 2011.
She was the last overseas trained winner of the race but a strong raiding party this time also includes Godolphin’s 1,000 Guineas winner Mawj. The race is off at 10.16pm Irish time.
