Naas target for Newmill

Tom O’Leary has pencilled in Newmill for his eagerly-awaited chasing debut at Naas on Saturday as long as he has not been affected by a bout of coughing in the yard.

The undoubted star of the trainer’s small Cork-based string, Newmill has only once finished out of the first two in nine starts, when something was clearly amiss, and he established himself as one of the leading novices in Ireland last term.

The six-year-old lowered the colours of Accordion Etoile and Mariah Rollins when winning the prestigious Royal Bond Hurdle at Fairyhouse last year, and got very close to the top-class Brave Inca at Leopardstown in February.

He was put away for the season after a victory at Naas later that month.

Newmill is entered in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase at the Kildare venue.

O’Leary said: “He is in at Naas on Saturday but our whole yard as had the cough at the moment, so I can’t say for definite if he runs, as he will have to be scoped first.

“He jumps brilliantly. I schooled him around Clonmel the other day. He was saved last season for chasing.”

Other potentially useful chasing recruits entered for the two-mile contest include Like-A-Butterfly, Fota Island and G V A Ireland.