NAVAN PREVIEW:CONDITIONS ARE sure to be testing at Navan tomorrow and a stamina test for the €100,000 feature should be right up Chelsea Harbour's street.
The Tom Mullins-trained star is one of 15 horses lining up for the William Hill Troytown Chase and most attention will centre on the ante-post favourite Officier de Reserve.
The unexposed six-year-old is just the latest raider from the Paul Nicholls yard as Britain's champion trainer continues his quest to also pick up this season's Irish trainer's title.
However, Officier de Reserve doesn't appear to stand out in the manner of other Nicholls horses such as Oslot in the Galway Plate during the summer.
A warm-up victory over hurdles at Worcester was fine but his season over fences rather petered out last winter including when being pulled up at the Cheltenham Festival.
In Ruby Walsh's absence, Davy Russell has been booked by Nicholls to ride the English raider and that could be significant since Russell was Chelsea Harbour's regular rider last season.
Together they bolted up in the National trial at Punchestown and for a while looked good for the real thing at Aintree when Chelsea Harbour led at the Canal Turn second time round only to fade to ninth.
On his return this season Chelsea Harbour has looked as good as ever with three runs over hurdles ending with an impressive success at Clonmel last time.
Stamina is his forte which will be ideal this weekend and Chelsea Harbour looks the best bet among the home team to keep this prestigious prize at home.
Just six line up for the Grade Two Monksfield Novice Hurdle including the Paul Nolan-trained pair, Alpha Ridge and Aura About You. Pitched against them, however, is the Noel Meade hope Pandorama who was placed in the "could be anything" category by his trainer after scoring by a dozen lengths on his jumping debut over this course and distance.
Meade is always a man to follow at his local track and Roches Point is another to check out in the bumper following a debut second to Rhyl Accord at Down Royal. The former champion trainer has the Thurles bumper winner Realt Dubh in the two-mile maiden hurdle but this could be a race for Gallant Light who ran a three-length second at Naas on his last start. Tom Mullins's focus won't just be on the big race as Your Sum Man goes in the Beginners Chase under Andrew McNamara.
Your Sum Man ran into Forpadydeplasterer on his chasing debut at Punchestown and a third to a horse of that quality gives him a clear chance in tomorrow's contest.
Mister Lucky is capable of going well at a decent price in the two and a half mile handicap hurdle while the Michael O'Leary-owned Tharawaat can go one better in the opener than his jumping debut at Down Royal behind Fist Of God.
