SUNDAY marks the start of the “biggest ever season” for Naas Racecourse as the track stages the first of four high-profile flat fixtures it has temporarily taken over from the Curragh.

With the Curragh season shortened to facilitate major redevelopment, Naas steps in to host the first turf flat meeting of the year with the Irish Lincolnshire and the Group 3 Park Express Stakes the main races.

Track manager Tom Ryan said: “I think it’s fair to say it is our biggest ever season. This has to lay the foundation for Naas to have a Group 1 race. We have two Group 2 races already and we have a Grade 1 race over jumps.”

Despite a reduced safety limit of 20 runners, there were no horses balloted out of the €100,000 Irish Lincoln which has a field of 18. They include Spring Offensive, one of three runners on the day for Yorkshire trainer Richard Fahey. Fozzy Stack is set to have his first runners on the day, including Lincoln top-weight Onenightidreamed.

Gold Cup-winning trainer Jessica Harrington has declared the consistent Marshall Jennings, while Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen will team up with the lightly-raced Sikandarabad. In the Park Express Stakes, the 114-rated Somehow will make her seasonal debut for Aidan O’Brien.

The four-year-old filly finished a good fifth in the Irish Oaks and was an impressive seven-length winner when last seen at the Curragh.

Traditionally Aidan O’Brien has used this fixture to gallop some of his string after racing but Ryan reports that this schooling session will take place on Monday morning instead.

Though the ground was described as ‘soft to heavy, heavy in places’ on Friday morning, the manager reports the track in good condition.

“We overseeded the flat track in early September using the services of agronomist John Souter, who is involved with a number of tracks around Ireland.

“Through the winter we boxed clever, moving the hurdles track in 15 yards onto a part of the track that had been extended in 2016. Consequently, the flat track hasn’t been used since our last meeting of 2016. We will also be working with the jockeys, asking them not to gallop on the racing line on their way down to post.”

Naas is also undergoing its own redevelopment work which will continue through the year. It involves refurbishment of the main grandstand and self-catering restaurant and the development of a two-storey curved pavilion which will incorporate balcony viewing. Ryan does not anticipate any inconvenience to racegoers.