The proximity of the flat season to the Cheltenham Festival can provide something of a culture shock to racing fans. We still have Fairyhouse, Aintree and Punchestown to look forward to but here comes Aidan O'Brien and company with a new wave of potential stars. Fear not, here are three horses entered at Naas this Sunday that could ease you back in to racing on the level.

RHODODENDRON

Race: Group 3 Lodge Park Stud EBF Park Express Stakes

This time last year Rhododendron was the queen in waiting, as an Aidan O’Brien-trained short-priced favourite for the 1000 Guineas. However she bumped into Winter at Newmarket and then, when sent off odds-on for the Oaks at Epsom, met a certain Enable. Her season looked all over when pulled up as a result of a broken blood vessel in the French Oaks but her trainer demonstrated all his skills to get her back for an autumn campaign and she duly delivered a Group 1 success, in the Prix de l’Opera at Chantilly.

She has been kept in training and this could now be a big year for the daughter of Galileo with O’Brien keen to make the most of her clean bill of health. If she shows up for this Group 3 she will be the one to beat but that is not to say the race looks weak with Ger Lyons’ course-and-distance winner Elegant Pose and British raider Wilamina (Martyn Meade) among nine entries.

He will now go back to Naas off a 4lb lower mark, on ground he likes and with the potential to improve on his second start for a new trainer.

Aussie Valentine (red sleeves) finished second in the Irish Lincolnshire for the third year in a row last season

AUSSIE VALENTINE

Race: Tote Irish Lincolnshire

Aussie Valentine hasn’t won since 2015 but remarkably has finished second in the last three renewals of the Irish Lincoln. In theory, Sunday’s race could be his best opportunity of breaking through as he gets to race off his lowest handicap mark, 83. He is now trained by Ado McGuinness and the Dublin-based trainer has wisely adopted a similar preparation to what the seven-year-old had last season; warming up for this race with a near identical effort to finish a close up fourth at Dundalk. He will now go back to Naas off a 4lb lower mark, on ground he likes and with the potential to improve on his second start for a new trainer.

It seems likely Keatley has had this race in mind for London Icon, coming back to Naas with likely soft ground conditions, and off a mark of 91, he could be very well treated.

LONDON ICON

Race: Woodlands 100 Club Madrid Handicap

The Madrid Handicap can often produce a subsequent stakes race performer, with 2016 winner Awtaad the strongest case and point. There are a couple of promising three-year-olds in the entries for the latest renewal this Sunday and one who caught the eye was Adrian Keatley’s London Icon. The son of Elzaam made a really promising debut when going close to Gobi Desert and Threeandfourpence at the Curragh last August, with that aforementioned pair going on to make their mark at stakes level.

London Icon himself went on to win his maiden (adjacent picture), over this course and distance, and he could hardly have been more impressive, using his big ranging stride to make all and beat a subsequent winner in John Oxx’s Night Of Power. It seems likely Keatley has had this race in mind for London Icon, coming back to Naas with likely soft ground conditions, and off a mark of 91, he could be very well treated.

Full Naas entries can be viewed here

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