The Nagger Reidy

This may not be as competitive a race as it looks like it is at first glance.  The Nagger Reidy is high in the market, but I think that he should be shorter still.

Sonny Carey’s horse has lots in his favour.  He has won just once, but his two runs this season have been up there with the best of his life.  Just held by Red Glory in a handicap hurdle at Galway in October, when he was in front two strides after the line, he put up a career-best performance last time when he finished second in the Brown Lad Handicap Hurdle at Naas.

That is usually a really good handicap hurdle, and it looked well up to standard this year, enhanced, as it has been, by subsequent events.  The winner Latos went to Carlisle next time and looked a likely winner jumping the last before his stamina appeared to ebb over that three-mile trip, and he gave best to a progressive horse of Nicky Richards.  Also, the third horse from the Brown Lad Hurdle, Staffordshire Knot, came out next time and won a handicap hurdle at Punchestown off a 3lb higher mark, and he followed up by winning impressively at Clonmel.  He is now rated 147, 10lb higher than he was in the Brown Lad.

The Nagger Reidy was raised by just 4lb for his run in the Brown Lad, and that was fair.  The ground was soft at Naas, but he proved at Galway and at Naas last April that he could operate on better ground.  This two-and-a-half-mile trip is ideal for him, he is on a nice upward trajectory now, and Michael Kenneally is big value for his 7lb claim.

THE NAGGER REIDY WON (ADV 5/1, SP 9/2)