Irish racing judge Cathryn Fry is back ahead of the Kerry National 2025, with her big fancies ahead of this year’s renewal. Read her exclusive preview ahead of the Listowel preview for kwiff.
Kerry National 2025: Cathryn Fry’s Big Race Preview
Listowel serves up a mid-week treat with the focus of their Harvest meeting: the Guinness Kerry National. Last year, dual stayers hurdle winner Flooring Porter turned this competitive handicap into a procession. There’s no big class act in this renewal but it remains very open, as you would expect.
All eyes will be on You Oughta Know, Willie Mullins’ rapidly improving chaser who stormed home by 23 lengths at Wexford last month. He heads the market and looks on paper, the one they’ll all have to beat. Mullins doesn’t arrive one handed though, he’s also firing Arctic Fly and the progressive Spanish Harlem into the mix.
Kerry National 2025: Team Elliott
Gordon Elliott brings a strong hand too. Three Card Brag bids to bounce back after his Galway Plate disappointment, while top-weight Pied Piper, Duffle Coat, and the mare Shecouldbeanything ensure Elliott has plenty of bullets to fire. Shecouldbeanything caught the eye at Galway, she was one of the few that were held up, that played a part in the finish. There’s no shortage of intrigue elsewhere. Light N Strike makes his first start for Mickey Bowen after a switch from Emma Lavelle, and Monbeg Park has joined young trainer Jack Foley.
Kerry National 2025: French Dynamite
Eyes will be on French Dynamite, representing Eric McNamara for the first time since leaving Mouse Morris. Eric Mac’ is a man with a proud history in this race, having landed it three times before. Past hero Busselton, successful here in 2022, lurks as a second reserve, a very talented versatile horse but would prefer quicker ground, while Joseph O’Brien also relies on San Salvador, who isn’t the slickest of jumpers and rarely gains ground at his fences, but provided the errors are kept to a minimum, his all-round ability makes him a serious contender.
Homebred by Anne-Marie O’Brien, he boasts an unusually versatile CV — victories on the Flat, over hurdles, in bumpers, over fences, and even on the all-weather. At nine, his strongest form may still be on the level, where he carries a lofty rating of 103, yet he continues to suggest a valuable chase prize is within reach. That was the case again in the Galway Plate, where he finished an eye-catching fourth after being forced wide turning in, staying on stoutly to the line. The extra furlong on offer here should only help.
Kerry National 2025: Outsiders
Other names worth noting include Le Coq Hardi for Henry de Bromhead, the classy mare Nara (first reserve), German import Anyway, Kilbeggan conqueror of You Oughta Know, and wide-margin scorer Outside The Door. Gavin Cromwell’s Thecompanysergeant adds further depth to a stacked line-up. It is Thecompanysergeant that makes plenty of appeal: The eight-year-old is still relatively new to Gavin Cromwell’s care and showed plenty of promise when chasing home Jagwar in the TrustATrader Plate at Cheltenham back in March. Connections were bullish about his chance that day, and he only found one rival too well-handicapped.
A tilt at Punchestown followed, where he ran a solid race despite not making the most of a lenient hurdles mark, perhaps still feeling the Cheltenham exertions. His Galway Plate effort can be forgiven, as he never really got involved and was never seen to best effect. He got caught on the back foot from the chaotic start and it’s incredibly hard to make up ground at Galway, especially in a race like the Plate.
Now just 2lb higher than his fine Cheltenham second, Thecompanysergeant looks poised to go well again. The step up in trip should play to his stamina-rich pedigree, and with Keith Donoghue taking over in the saddle, his prospects receive another timely boost. If I’m going for the first three home, they’d look like this:
Kerry National 2025: Predictions
-TheCompanySergeant
-SheCouldBeAnything
-San Salvador
By Cathryn Fry
Please note that the information provided in this Kerry National 2025 article is for entertainment purposes only. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided. Any action you take upon the information on this article is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any losses and damages in connection with the use of our article. We do not encourage gambling and remind you to gamble responsibly.
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