WITH the festival only weeks away the Cheltenham Trials Day at Naas is the ideal opportunity for Cheltenham contenders to have their last prep race on Irish soil before the show begins.

The feature event on the day will be the Grade 2 Paddy Power Novice Hurdle, a race won in the past by quality names such as Annie Power and Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Go Native.

At the Trials Day last year we also saw Irish Gold Cup winner Edwulf open his account over fences.

A host of racing personalities will be on hand on Sunday morning for the Paddy Power Winning Line which will take place in The Circle Bar, located on the ground floor of The Circle, so fear not – you will not be abandoned placing your bets!

As well as all the races on the day, the Cheltenham Preview will take place with the chance to hear from jockeys and their trainers.

Tom Ryan, Manager of Naas Racecourse looked forward to the day, saying: “We are delighted that Paddy Power is sponsoring the Naas Racecourse Cheltenham Trial day for the 13th year running.”

Paddy Power is also geared up for the day. “Paddy Power Trials day at Naas is always a fantastic event, not only do we get to see some top-quality racing in the flesh, it’s also a great excuse to have a good look ahead to Cheltenham which is only around the corner.”

Admission is €15 which includes a free €5 bet. The first of eight races is off at 1.40pm.

To win one of three pairs of tickets to the Naas Trial meeting, see page A17