Naas Racecourse will step back into the spotlight on Sunday, January 25, as its traditional January Jumps Meeting returns with a seven-race card that has long served as an early-season barometer for festival-bound talent. Running from 12:55pm to 3:55pm, the afternoon will reflect everything the “Nursery of Champions” stands for—unexposed potential, proven Grade 3 quality, and performances that often echo well into the spring.
The meeting will revolve around Race 2, the Naas Racecourse Business Club Limestone Lad Hurdle, a Grade 3 contest worth €37,500. Scheduled for 1:25pm, the 1m7f190y hurdle will see eight runners aged five and older negotiate eight flights in what is expected to be a tightly run and tactically revealing race. Traditionally a key midwinter test, the Limestone Lad has a history of shaping Cheltenham narratives rather than concluding them.
Contenders: Karbau, Workahead, Glen Kiln, Kel Histoire, Farren Glory, Bacchanalian, Bring On The Night, Cola Blaze
Earlier clues will begin to surface in Race 1, the Nursery Of Champions Maiden Hurdle, where thirteen four-year-olds will open the card at 12:55pm. Run over 1m7f190y with eight hurdles and a €12,000 prize fund, this contest will once again ask which names are ready to step out of anonymity and into longer-term consideration.
Volume and competitiveness will define Race 3, the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden Hurdle at 1:55pm. Sixteen runners will tackle 2m2f150y for €15,000, making it one of the most open races on the card. With older maidens lining up, race sharpness and stamina will be decisive.
That same distance and prize money will be mirrored in Race 4, the Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series At Punchestown Festival 2026 Qualifier Handicap Hurdle. Thirteen runners are set to compete at 2:25pm, with the longer-term significance of the series ensuring this will be ridden with future planning firmly in mind.
A key focal point will arrive at 2:55pm in Race 5, the Aloga Equestrian (Pro/Am) Flat Race, a recognised source of Cheltenham Champion Bumper clues. Run over 2m2f150y for €10,000, this race continues to punch above its weight. Jasmin De Vaux claimed this contest in 2024, and Willie Mullins is expected to command attention again through Love Sign D’Aunou. The French-bred gelding won his sole point-to-point at Loughanmore last April and will be closely watched on debut.
Stamina will take centre stage in Race 6, the Finlay Ford At Naas Novice Steeplechase, a Grade 3 at 3:25pm. Eight runners will face 3m125yds and 16 fences for €30,000 in a searching examination for novice chasers with staying ambitions.
The afternoon will close with Race 7, the Clinton Higgins Chartered Accountants Novice Handicap Steeplechase at 3:55pm. Eleven runners will contest 2m4f29y and 13 fences for €16,000, rounding out a card built on depth rather than excess.
With two Grade 3 races, a historically significant bumper, and a strong supporting cast, Naas Racecards 25 January will once again underline why its January meeting is more than just a winter fixture. As eyes turn toward Cheltenham, this Sunday’s action is set to quietly shape the narrative of the weeks ahead.
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