Saratoga
Saratoga stayed on well to take third place in the opening four-year-olds' maiden hurdle at Naas on Sunday. There wasn’t a great pace in the race, nothing wanted to lead, they stood still for a few seconds after the tape was released, but Saratoga settled nicely just behind the leaders, fifth or sixth through the early stages of the race. His jumping wasn't great, he lost ground at several obstacles, but he still travelled well into the home straight, fifth of the group of five that had separated themselves from the field by then. He didn't have a whole lot of racing room on the inside over the second last and last flights, and he was slow at the final flight, but he stayed on well up the run-in to finish third. He was less than three lengths behind the winner Kai Lung, who made all the running, although he might have finished fourth had Mon Crueset not made a bad mistake at the second last flight.
It was still a nice step forward from Padraig Roche's horse. A staying-on third behind Immediate Effect on his hurdling bow at Punchestown on New Year's Day, this was a good step forward from that, and there is every chance that he can step forward again now, especially if the fluency of his jumping improves with experience. A supremely well-bred individual, by Camelot and a half-brother to Irish Derby winner and St Leger winner Capri, he won a maiden over a mile and six furlongs on the flat for Aidan O'Brien at Listowel last September, and there is every chance that he can make his mark now over hurdles. He could be a Fred Winter Hurdle horse. Padraig Roche won that race in 2022 with Saratoga's half-brother Brazil, who won the four-year-olds' rated hurdle at Naas in February that year before going on to win at Cheltenham.
Naas, 25th January 2026
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