Smoking Big Cigars can stub out rivals in Navan

Navan hosts a national hunt card this afternoon and the Sandra Hughes-trained Smoking Big Cigars can recoup some of the losses from his defeat at this track in late January.

The lightly raced six-year-old was the subject of quite a gamble on that occasion, but it came unstuck as he trailed in a modest fourth behind Edvardo.

That was over two and a half miles, and the drop in trip, to two miles, for today’s race should prompt improvement. In a modest and winnable race, he is preferred to Spacious Sky, for whom market support would be very significant.