Unexposed Aramax to plunder Kerry National for McManus

Jockey Mark Walsh is congratulated by JP McManus, third from right, and his wife Noreen, second from right, after winning the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle on Aramax during Day Two of the 2020 Cheltenham Festival. Aramax gives the owner a strong hand in today's Guinness Kerry National at Listowel. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Jockey Mark Walsh is congratulated by JP McManus, third from right, and his wife Noreen, second from right, after winning the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle on Aramax during Day Two of the 2020 Cheltenham Festival. Aramax gives the owner a strong hand in today's Guinness Kerry National at Listowel. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Jockey Mark Walsh

Michael Verney

September 22 2021 02:30 AM

It wouldn’t be a big Irish National Hunt pot without a plethora of green and gold silks on show and today’s Guinness Kerry National (4.25) at Listowel sees owner JP McManus throw seven darts at the €150,000 prize.

Day four of the Harvest Festival is dominated by the three-mile showpiece where McManus holds massive claims through a septet of contenders, with a Gordon Elliott-trained duo of particular interest.

Conflated and Farclas are high on the Meath trainer’s shortlist in the Gigginstown colours, but it is the McManus pair of Cheltenham Festival winner Aramax and course winner The Big Lense that stand out.

Aramax is a bit of an unknown quantity, stepping up to this trip for the first time, but the five-year-old showed a liking for a stamina test when moving up in distance to finish third in the Galway Blazers Handicap Chase last time out.

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The five-year-old (10-13) has had just four starts in handicap chases and is open to significant improvement in this sphere under Mark Walsh, while The Big Lense landed the Midlands National at Kilbeggan on his penultimate start before finishing sixth in the Blazers at Galway (10-9).

Noel Meade’s Snow Falcon (10-11) bids for a second success having scored in the same race three years ago. He carried 11-5 on that occasion and no winner has hauled more than that to success in the past decade so weight is a key consideration.

Willie Mullins landed the odds 12 months ago through Cabaret Queen and the Closutton maestro is triple-handed this time around with Brahma Bull (11-10) and Annamix (11-6) carrying hefty burdens, while Koshari (10-10) looks his most realistic challenger at the weights.

The in-form John Ryan must sweat to see whether the well-fancied Fairyhill Run (10-7) will make it into the contest as the first reserve bids to complete a four-timer, but McManus may have the answer in Aramax.

Elliott has hit the ground running since his return and this lucrative prize may go to the Cullentra handler with the Maxios gelding gaining experience in big-runner fields that can pay dividends today.

Mullins should have the answer in the earlier Seamus Mulvaney Bookmaker Novice Hurdle (2.45), though, with impressive Galway winner Farout eyeing a hat-trick under Paul Townend and the four-year-old is unlikely to be denied.

Meanwhile, Joseph O’Brien and Declan McDonogh combined to take the big prize at the Kerry track yesterday with Visualisation (7/2) coming home two-and-a-half-lengths clear in the Listed Edmund & Josie Whelan Memorial Listowel Stakes.