BARRIER trials have been controversial in Britain this flat season, their behind-closed-doors rehearsals seemingly producing a spate of winners for all it is hard to properly quantify their success rate without the relevant information.

The equivalent data has been available in Ireland for several years now, well-put together by the organisers Irish Thoroughbred Marketing on YouTube and their own website, though it has hardly proved a pathway to punting paradise.

Prices about impressive winners of these trials tend to move quickly though the results and replays can be interesting nonetheless, provided part of the bigger picture of a horse’s profile.

For instance, a juvenile that looked sharp in winning a trial may not have as much room for improvement as one that concedes experience when they meet on the track for a real contest.

Interest in these trials appeared to dwindle a little in recent years, but the fields held up well at Naas on Monday, May 25th with 74 total runners, a sizeable percentage of them provided by the younger O’Briens, Joseph with 28 and Donnacha with 10. Joseph O’Brien continues to appear well on his way to a record-breaking number of individual runners on the flat this season.

Naas itself provides a decent test for an inexperienced horse, the trials taking place around a bend on turf, and that is unusual for six-furlong races in Ireland, most of which take place on straight tracks. During the nine trials, the middle and outside part of the track appeared favoured, jockeys opting to come that way as the day went on.

Interesting runners

Joseph O’Brien won three of the nine trials though some of his more interesting runners finished down the field. King’s Fury (Kingman out of Mis Saigon) was second in batch one but shaped best. He was keen early and taken back for cover in rear before getting pushed along in the straight with the penny dropping late. He pulled clear of the third though may have raced in the right part of the track.

In batch three, On Just Terms (Justify out of Elitiste) missed the break badly for O’Brien and raced around the inner throughout before finishing well to come third to a pair that raced up the middle of the track.

Batch eight drew the biggest field of the three trials for three-year-olds, and Gliondar (Romanised out of Alianza) got a considerate ride, running on well from off the pace under tender handling.

Of the other yards, the Henry de Bromhead runners were given easy times, something that has become the norm for him in these trials, Billy Lee the jockey in all cases. Carafinn (Mehmas out of Normandel), fourth in batch two, is one to keep in mind. She travelled as well as any and did best of those down the inner. Lily Bear (Kodi Bear out of Aoife Alainn), trained by Michael Grassick, showed promise when second in batch four, moving nicely through the field and passing horses down the inner, likely to have won if asked for more.

THE most valuable race of the last week in Ireland was the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Gowran Classic with a prize pool of €200,000; in fact, it is the most valuable race in June until we hit Derby Weekend.

In terms of prize money, the race is only behind the Group 1s, the Irish Cesarewitch and the Goffs Million in the calendar, having a similar value to the Group 2s over Irish Champions Festival and the Ballyhane at Naas.

Whether it deserves this funding is another question, as it seems a curiosity that it doesn’t make the public curious. P

erhaps Monday’s running is not the best one to judge as there were seven non-runners that weakened the field and it was dominated by two that raced close to the pace, neither of which could be rated much better than 85 on previous form, the third rated 79.

The race is now in its third year, the aim at its launch to attract late developing, middle-distance three-year-olds from less expensive sires but nothing has particularly come out of the first two runnings to build it up.

Easy success

Perhaps this year will be different and Bunyola Bay did run out an easy winner in a decent time. He is unexposed and pulled a long way clear of the runner-up who was clear of the rest. Hardy Warrior, rated 107 and sent off 5/6, was a disappointment, getting behind early and meeting trouble in the straight, running on a little late.

He might well prefer a more galloping track, and it looked a similar story with his stablemate Summer Is Tomorrow. Of more immediate betting interest are the third Cherry Hill Girl and the seventh Loch Gamhna.

Cherry Hill Girl came from further back than ideal while meeting trouble and looks well up to winning a handicap if not getting too much of a hike for this.

Loch Gamhna had been disappointing so far this season after a promising third to Causeway on his final start last year but came right back to form here. He did best of those held up and having been basically last turning in, passed half the field in the straight despite meeting trouble. He is well up to winning a maiden.

DOWN Royal hosted the classiest race of the last week or so, the Listed His Majesty’s Plate, though it was an uneventful contest, Carmers always in control behind the leader before running on well to beat Layfayette who met a little traffic but nothing that impacted the result.

The winner was another example of a Paddy Twomey horse improving a lot for a run, however. So far in 2026, Twomey has run 16 horses that were with him previously and were coming off a break of 100 days or more with just one of them winning, with seven total places.

Since then, that group have managed form figures of: 101412112 on their second start, the sole initial winner being City Of Memphis who has gone through the grades since.

Carmers was part of a double for Billy Lee, and he commented after an earlier winner that the surface was ‘probably the quickest we have run on this year.’ Down Royal is a galloping track, but on this sort of ground it can be difficult to come from off the pace.

One winner that managed it was Harmani for Ger Lyons, looking suited by the step up in trip to win the then-furlong three-year-old handicap. He got a stone for this but is completely unexposed over middle distances.

A couple shaped well in defeat coming from off the pace. Hooves Your Daddy did best of those held up in the opening five-furlong three-year-old handicap, overcoming a wide trip and closing all the way to the line to take third. She should pick up a small race.

Dandymaria was making her debut in the seven-furlong maiden for fillies and did well to finish fourth against more experienced rivals. Never able to get cover from stall 12, she had a wide trip but finished off well.