6:00 Naas
The Forte Healthcare Handicap over 5f 205y at Naas brings together an 11-runner field of largely fair and modest performers on good ground. KTB's Fit scores are tightly bunched at the top, with I Bid You Ajou heading the ratings on 57, just ahead of Ninth Crusade on 56 and Bad Boy Rizz on 54, suggesting a competitive race where small margins and race shape will matter. The KTB numbers highlight course experience, trip suitability and trainer trends at Naas as the main discriminators in a contest that looks open on paper.
How the race shapes up
The pace shape is described as tentative with only medium confidence, pointing to a possible front-runner but on thin evidence. Unidos is the only horse noted as tending to make the running or race prominently, while the principals are largely held-up types or those without a clear pace profile. This sets up a race that could be slowly run early, posing the key question of whether the leaders can steal it or if the closers, including the selection from stall 11, will be able to land a telling blow late.
The KTB Fit ranking
- 1I Bid You Ajou KTB Selection57/100Fair performer who has been consistent without winning lately and ran well over this course and trip when second here in the past.
- 2Ninth Crusade56/100Fair sort who showed useful pace when winning over this trip on debut last season.
- 3Bad Boy Rizz54/100Fair performer who has been placed on both starts at this track including a second over today's distance.
- 4Flaming Rib51/100Flaming Rib is a fair performer who has won five times over today's trip from 23 starts and handles good ground well with four wins and six places from 13 runs.
- 5Mint Man50/100Modest performer who has won once in three runs at Naas and steps up in trip today having last run over 5f.
- 6Soulful Diva49/100Soulful Diva is a fair 3-year-old who showed useful speed when winning over 6f on good ground last year.
- 7Four Blondes47/100Modest performer who has been below form on both starts this year.
- 8Ohailbhic46/100Fair performer who arrives in decent form after two wins over longer trips.
- 9Gotta Catch'em All42/100Modest performer who showed a bit more when winning at this trip last time out.
- 10All Hail42/100Modest performer who has shown bits of ability in five runs without winning.
- 11Unidos38/100Modest performer who has shown little since a fair debut fifth here over 6f last season.
The contenders
I Bid You Ajou KTB Fit 57/100
I Bid You Ajou is a fair performer who has been consistent without winning of late and ran well over this course and trip when second here in the past. He drops back from 7f today having already won three times over this distance though the trainer's modest 3% strike-rate at Naas is a clear negative. Stall 11 adds another question mark on what is usually a draw-biased track. The five-year-old is held up and usually produces his effort late, with limited evidence on that score. Mark Fahey and Dylan Browne McMonagle combine with a 3/15 record that has produced an A/E of 1.63 and +£10.50 LSP. He has two wins from 13 runs on good ground and has been placed both times at Naas without winning.
Ninth Crusade KTB Fit 56/100
Ninth Crusade is a fair sort who showed useful pace when winning over this trip on debut last season. He has failed to build on that in four subsequent runs though the return to 5f is a positive and first-time headgear could sharpen him up. The trainer has a solid 12% strike rate at Naas from a big sample. Colin Keane takes the ride on the three-year-old, the pair contributing to M D O'Callaghan's 53/241 record with an A/E of 1.15 and +£11.65 LSP. The colt has no runs on good ground so remains unproven on the surface and has no course form on record.
Bad Boy Rizz KTB Fit 54/100
Bad Boy Rizz is a fair performer who has been placed on both starts at this track including a second over today's distance. He is consistent rather than progressive of late and steps up in trip again today while wearing headgear for the first time. The trainer's modest 4% strike rate at Naas is a negative. Shane Foley rides for Ross O'Sullivan, whose 13/114 record here carries an A/E of 0.78 and -£28.30 LSP. The three-year-old has been placed three times from five runs on good ground without winning and was second on his sole previous visit to Naas.
Flaming Rib KTB Fit 51/100
Flaming Rib is a fair performer who has won five times over today's trip from 23 starts and handles good ground well with four wins and six places from 13 runs. He drops back from 7f today having shown modest form on his last two starts. The trainer has a 6% strike rate from 309 runs at Naas while this is the horse's first run at the track. Adam Caffrey partners the seven-year-old for Adrian McGuinness, who boasts a 99/1007 record with an A/E of 0.93 and -£204.25 LSP. Recent form reads 940-54 and he has no course form on record.
Mint Man KTB Fit 50/100
Mint Man is a modest performer who has won once in three runs at Naas and steps up in trip today having last run over 5f. Recent form of 78480 is uninspiring and he has been placed three times from eight starts on good ground without winning. First-time headgear is now applied. Chris Hayes rides for P J F Murphy, whose 8/118 record shows an A/E of 0.78 and -£19.22 LSP. The trainer's 11% strike rate at Naas from 35 runs is respectable and the five-year-old has course-winning form.
The rest of the field
Soulful DivaKTB Fit 49/100
Soulful Diva is a fair 3-year-old who showed useful speed when winning over 6f on good ground last year. She has not built on that form this season, finishing only midfield on her latest start here over this trip, and the yard's modest 6 percent strike rate at Naas offers little encouragement. Nathan Crosse takes the ride on a filly whose course record reads a single fifth from one visit.
Four BlondesKTB Fit 47/100
Four Blondes is a modest performer who has been below form on both starts this year. Four runs at this track have produced no wins or places and the trainer's modest 4% strike rate at Naas adds little encouragement. He drops back to 5f where he has placed three times from five starts on good ground.
OhailbhicKTB Fit 46/100
Ohailbhic is a fair performer who arrives in decent form after two wins over longer trips. He has run twice at this track without placing and is 0-6 on good ground, so the surface and drop back to 5f both pose fresh questions. The trainer's modest 5% strike rate at Naas adds another negative.
Gotta Catch'em AllKTB Fit 42/100
Gotta Catch'em All is a modest performer who showed a bit more when winning at this trip last time out. First run at Naas and first-time headgear both unknowns while the trainer's modest 6% strike rate from 317 runs at the track adds no confidence. He is suited by good ground on the balance of his form.
All HailKTB Fit 42/100
All Hail is a modest performer who has shown bits of ability in five runs without winning. He has been placed once at this trip but steps back up in distance today having last run over the minimum. The trainer has a solid 10% strike rate at Naas from a big sample.
UnidosKTB Fit 38/100
Unidos is a modest performer who has shown little since a fair debut fifth here over 6f last season. Dropping back from 7f to 5f asks a fresh question while first-time headgear is also tried, though the yard's poor 3% strike rate at Naas is a clear negative. Course form is limited to that one run.
KTB verdict
I Bid You Ajou is the KTB Selection. He brings solid course and distance placed form, three previous wins at this trip, and a recent record that speaks of consistency even if the Naas trainer statistic and wide draw are against him. The selection can be expected to come from off the pace in a race that may not be strongly run. His main dangers are Ninth Crusade, who looks primed for a return to 5f with first-time headgear, and Bad Boy Rizz, who has shown his liking for the track and now tries headgear himself.
KTB Selection I Bid You Ajou
Morning odds
Best available price per runner, captured 00:00 UTC, 22 Jul. These are a morning snapshot and will have moved — see the live racecard for current prices.
| Runner | Morning price | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| I Bid You Ajou | 7/2 | BetTom |
| Ninth Crusade | 10/1 | BetTom |
| Bad Boy Rizz | 4/1 | Bet365 |
| Flaming Rib | 9/1 | Bet365 |
| Mint Man | 12/1 | BetTom |
| Soulful Diva | 11/1 | William Hill |
| Four Blondes | 12/1 | BetTom |
| Ohailbhic | 5/1 | Bet365 |
| Gotta Catch'em All | 8/1 | Bet365 |
| All Hail | 12/1 | BetTom |
| Unidos | 18/1 | BetTom |
This is the narrative read of the 6:00 Naas. For the live card — runner-by-runner stats, the full Fit Score breakdown and current odds — see the Naas racecard. New here? How KTB works explains the Fit Score and why we publish both.
Questions about this race
Which horse has the best recent course form at Naas over this trip?
I Bid You Ajou, who has been second and fourth in two runs here including a placing over this course and trip.
How many wins has Flaming Rib recorded over today's trip?
Five wins from 23 starts at this distance.
Which runners are making their first start in headgear?
Ninth Crusade, Bad Boy Rizz, Mint Man, Gotta Catch'em All and Unidos are all wearing first-time headgear.
Which horse is the only confirmed front-runner in the field?
Unidos tends to make the running or race on the pace.
What is the trainer strike rate at Naas for the yard of the KTB Selection?
Mark Fahey has a 3% strike rate at Naas with an A/E of 0.42 from 58 runs.
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