Ryder Free returns with his Sunday racing tips. He’s heading to Naas this afternoon with two confident plays — including a Grade 1 winner back over hurdles and a proven fresh performer who thrives first time out.
Tip 1: 14:27 Naas - Spillane’s Tower - 1pt
Although this race is clearly a prep run for SPILLANE’S TOWER (best priced at 11/8) ahead of bigger targets over fences, he looks the one to beat from a 33lb lower mark over hurdles. The Jimmy Mangan trained seven-year-old outran odds of 18/1 to finish 2nd in the John Durkan Chase on his reappearance last season when splitting Ryanair Chase winner Fact To File and Gold Cup runner-up Galopin Des Champs.
Spillane’s Tower is a two-time Grade 1 winning novice chaser but can now run back over hurdles for the first time since April 2023 in a handicap hurdle off a lowly mark of 130. That is 33lbs lower than his mark over fences and he should prove hard to beat given he was fit enough to travel to Down Royal for the Grade 1 Chase earlier this month.
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Tip 2: 15:02 Naas - Ile Atlantique - 1pt
For two seasons now the form of ILE ATLANTIQUE (best priced at 4/1) has tailed off in the spring so I think now is the time to back him despite appearing to be the stable second string on jockey bookings. The seven-year-old has won on all three of his reappearance runs after 253, 215 and 221 day breaks and has also won a Grade 2 Chase by five lengths and finished runner-up in a Grade 1 novice hurdle by a neck.
Ile Atlantique appears to be priced based on his below par runs in the spring and he could prove the one to beat if his jumping has improved from last season.
