Navan afternoon racing tips: Best bets for Saturday, April 27

They race at the Co. Meath venue from 13:10 - 17:10 and our Irish racing expert Enda McElhinney has tips for all eight races for the Planet Sport readers. 

Don't forget to check out the full racecard, results and live odds in Planet Sport's racing live centre.

Good luck and please gamble responsibly.

(Please be aware selections could become non-runners after article's first publication)

Saturday's Navan tips:

13:10 (Navan) Rathbranchurch

13:45 (Navan) Camille Pissarro

14:17 (Navan Shandy

14:52 (Navan Purple Lily

15:27 (Navan) School Of Law

16.00 (Navan) Kyprios

16:35 (Navan) Bay Of Sanibel

17:10 (Navan) Astar

 

13:10 (Navan) Rathbranchurch

The Kilberry Apprentice Handicap over the minimum five furlongs kicks proceedings off and it's a tough 23-runner puzzle, with lots of runners making their seasonal bows, so the market will be an essential guide.

Mick Mulvany's Rathbranchurch has Navan form figures that read 3212, with plenty experience in big fields, and he should be cherry-ripe following a pleasing comeback at the Curragh last weekend. 

13:45 (Navan) Camille Pissarro

The regally-bred Wootton Bassett colt Camille Pissarro cost his lofty connections the princely sum of 1,250,000 gns as a yearling and is an immediate eye-catcher on paper now ahead of his racecourse bow for Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore.

He is an obvious starting point for this six furlong maiden, with Donnacha O'Brien's filly Sorella Carina another standout on paper.

14:17 (Navan) Shandy

A healthy €25,500 on offer to the winner of this Listed Space Traveller Irish EBF Committed Stakes and while top-rated Givemethebeatboys has plenty going for him, Jessica Harrington's colt is taken on with Fozzy Stack's lightly-raced Starspangledbanner filly Shandy.

She won a Curragh maiden four weeks ago on second start and has scope for better going up in trip/grade now.

14:52 (Navan) Purple Lily

The feature race is the Group 3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Salsabil Stakes, with a fine field of seven going to post, including contenders for Aidan O'Brien, Ger Lyons, Jessica Harrington and Dermot Weld.

They are overlooked in favour of Purple Lily, the Calyx filly with two wins from two thus far. She looked like one destined for much better things when seeing off 108-rated Portland at Naas last month and trainer Paddy Twomey is usually on the mark when he thinks he has a good one.

She's got a host of Group 1 entries and can cement the impression she created five weeks ago by remaining unbeaten.

15:27 (Navan) School Of Law

Newcomers Apache Eagle and Unavoidable – representing Joseph and Donnacha O'Brien respectively – will need monitoring in the market but they'll have to be above average to beat Michael O'Callaghan School Of Law first time out.

He showed some good turf form last season over shorter, comes here after a pipe-opener on the Polytrack at Dundalk this month, and looks sure to benefit from this increased stamina test.

16.00 (Navan) Kyprios

Aidan O'Brien's record tally of nine wins in the Vintage Crop Stakes seems likely to be extended with the presence of the 2022 winner Kyprios.

That was the start of a six-race winning sequence that saw him land the Ascot Gold Cup amongst four straight Group 1s.

A setback last spring meant we didn't see him until the autumn. He was beaten by Eldar Eldarov in the Irish Leger and only second behind a game Trawlerman in the Long Distance Cup at Ascot on Champions Day, but those efforts still set a high standard for these rivals to aim at.

 
16:35 (Navan) Bay Of Sanibel

The Jessica Harrington-trained Bay Of Sanibel stepped up markedly from her debut effort to win over 1m6f (soft) at this track in October in maiden company.

The Sea The Stars filly should have plenty more to come at this sort of trip and an opening mark of 75 in handicaps looks exploitable for this four-year-old in the hands of Shane Foley.

17:10 (Navan) Astar

Successive all-weather wins at Dundalk ensure Andy Oliver's Squire Danagher will be on plenty shortlists and he's a danger if transferring that improved form to the grass.

Astar was last spotted trying to make all in a Listed race at Naas in October, when she paid for those exertions by fading in amongst quality rivals.

The Dermot Weld inmate has gone well fresh and has scope for better at this sort of trip now back in a handicap.