7:00 Naas
The 7:00 Naas sees a competitive Listed field of fifteen three- and four-year-olds line up for the Yeomanstown Stud Irish EBF Stakes over an extended five furlongs on good ground. KTB's Fit scores identify a clear top pick in Soul Love on 74, with Xerling, Tahcawin, Oh Cecelia and Temperance completing the principals, while the remainder of the field clusters between 57 and 44. Recent form is strong among the leading contenders, several hold placed form at the track, and the Burke yard's record at Naas stands out.
How the race shapes up
The pace shape is tentative with low confidence, suggesting a possible front-runner but on thin evidence overall. Dancing Saxon is the only horse noted as tending to make the running or race prominently, while Soul Love and Focaccia are usually held up and produce their efforts late. This points to a race that could develop with a moderate early gallop, potentially leaving a sprint finish. The key question is whether the prominent runners can dictate matters or if the held-up types will be able to close effectively in the latter stages.
The KTB Fit ranking
- 1Soul Love KTB Selection74/100Soul Love is a useful performer who arrives in top form after three wins from her first five starts including a success at this trip.
- 2Xerling64/100Xerling is a useful performer who has shown strong recent form with two wins and a second from his last three starts.
- 3Tahcawin61/100Tahcawin is a useful performer who has shown consistent placed form at this track, finishing third and second from two runs here.
- 4Oh Cecelia59/100Useful performer who has won once and placed twice from two runs at this track.
- 5Temperance58/100Fair performer who won over this trip here last year and has a solid 1-5 course record overall.
- 6Chantez57/100Useful performer who has run creditably without winning in two starts this year.
- 7Sarahmae55/100Sarahmae is a useful performer who has been in good heart lately with two wins from her last four starts.
- 8Little Queenie52/100Little Queenie is a useful performer who has won over this trip and at Naas itself.
- 9Fregada52/100Fregada is a useful performer who has shown consistent form this year, finishing no worse than fourth in her last three starts.
- 10Likedbymike49/100Useful performer who has been knocking on the door without winning, finishing placed on three of his four runs at Naas.
- 11Coconut Cove49/100Useful performer who has shown a good level of consistency with form figures of 316-52.
- 12Treasure Rose48/100Treasure Rose has been in good form this year with two wins from her last four starts and looks fairly treated on her recent ratings.
- 13Focaccia47/100Focaccia is a fair 3-year-old with a mixed record that includes two wins from seven starts.
- 14Dancing Saxon46/100Dancing Saxon is a fair 3-year-old who has won his last two starts and arrives in decent form.
- 15Yellowstone Lake44/100Fair performer who showed useful form when runner-up on debut before winning a maiden over 7f at this track last season.
The contenders
Soul Love KTB Fit 74/100
Soul Love is a useful performer who arrives in top form after three wins from her first five starts including a success at this trip. She has already won on good ground and the Burke yard fires at a strong 31% strike rate at Naas with an A/E of 1.68. Stall five looks fine and she has the best recent form in the field with figures of 1-1913. Her run-style is to be held up, usually producing her effort late though that assessment comes with limited evidence and low confidence. The trainer and jockey combination shows 82 wins from 475 rides at 17% with an A/E of 1.05 and positive LSP of +£18.70. She holds no course form on record but everything else aligns in her favour as the KTB Selection.
Xerling KTB Fit 64/100
Xerling is a useful performer who has shown strong recent form with two wins and a second from his last three starts. He has already placed here at Naas without winning and steps up in trip today having failed to land the odds at this distance on both previous attempts. The trainer holds a solid 14% strike rate from 78 runs at the track with an A/E of 1.51 while the good ground looks a plus on his record of one win from four with two placed. His figures read 40-212 and he is ridden by Wayne Lordan whose Naas record stands at 9% with an A/E of 0.78. The trainer and jockey partnership shows 25 wins from 196 at 13% with an A/E of 1.10 and positive LSP of +£36.42. Draw two could prove handy if the pace is not strong.
Tahcawin KTB Fit 61/100
Tahcawin is a useful performer who has shown consistent placed form at this track, finishing third and second from two runs here. He has won over today's trip and is three from five on good ground though he is yet to land a race at this level. The yard's modest 8% strike rate at Naas with an A/E of 0.89 is a negative from 194 runs. Recent form reads 0-5235 and the trainer and jockey record stands at 113 wins from 1164 at 10% with an A/E of 0.94. Gary Carroll's Naas figures are 9% with an A/E of 1.00 from 534 rides. Draw nine is neither help nor hindrance on the evidence available.
Oh Cecelia KTB Fit 59/100
Oh Cecelia is a useful performer who has won once and placed twice from two runs at this track. She has shown fair form on good ground with one win from four and two placed efforts and has been placed three times at today's trip though without winning. First-time headgear is now tried from a wide draw in stall fourteen which adds an element of risk. Her recent form is 513289 and the trainer and jockey partnership shows 80 wins from 683 at 12% with an A/E of 0.95. The yard's Naas record is 9% with an A/E of 0.87 from 233 runs while Shane Foley's Naas strike rate is 10% with an A/E of 0.82.
Temperance KTB Fit 58/100
Temperance is a fair performer who won over this trip here last year and has a solid 1-5 course record overall. Recent form has been patchy though and she has been below her best on both starts this season with figures of 1558-6. First-time headgear is now tried while the trainer holds a strong 21% strike rate at Naas with an A/E of 2.51 from only 14 runs. The yard and jockey combination shows 5 wins from 43 at 12% with an A/E of 1.37 and positive LSP of +£11.00. Chris Hayes is 9% at the track with an A/E of 0.87 from 895 rides. She acts on good ground with one win from seven and one placed effort.
The rest of the field
ChantezKTB Fit 57/100
Chantez is a useful performer who has run creditably without winning in two starts this year. He drops back to an untried 6f trip today with first-time headgear which asks a fresh question of him. The trainer has a solid 15% strike rate at Naas from a big sample while the jockey is 0-1 at the track from one ride.
SarahmaeKTB Fit 55/100
Sarahmae is a useful performer who has been in good heart lately with two wins from her last four starts. She has run twice at Naas without winning though she has been placed once and she acts on good ground with two wins from eight attempts. The step up in trip today asks a fresh question as she is yet to score in seven runs at this distance.
Little QueenieKTB Fit 52/100
Little Queenie is a useful performer who has won over this trip and at Naas itself. She has shown consistent placed form this season but her recent efforts have been a bit patchy. The trainer's modest record at the track adds a note of caution.
FregadaKTB Fit 52/100
Fregada is a useful performer who has shown consistent form this year, finishing no worse than fourth in her last three starts. She has placed both here at Naas and on good ground, and she has already won over today's trip. The yard's modest 5% strike rate at the track is a negative.
LikedbymikeKTB Fit 49/100
Likedbymike is a useful performer who has been knocking on the door without winning, finishing placed on three of his four runs at Naas. He acts on good ground and has shown placed form at today's trip though he has never won at the distance. The trainer's poor record at the track is a negative.
Coconut CoveKTB Fit 49/100
Coconut Cove is a useful performer who has shown a good level of consistency with form figures of 316-52. She steps up in trip today having won once from five starts at this distance while first-time headgear is now applied. The trainer has only had one runner at Naas so that remains an unknown.
Treasure RoseKTB Fit 48/100
Treasure Rose has been in good form this year with two wins from her last four starts and looks fairly treated on her recent ratings. She has already won at this trip and is placed from her only run here at Naas, though the wide draw in stall 13 is far from ideal. First-time headgear is now added and she handles good ground.
FocacciaKTB Fit 47/100
Focaccia is a fair 3-year-old with a mixed record that includes two wins from seven starts. He has shown ability at this trip without winning and steps back up in distance today having last run over 5f. The trainer holds a solid 13 percent strike rate at Naas from 168 runs while the horse is 1 from 1 on this going.
Dancing SaxonKTB Fit 46/100
Dancing Saxon is a fair 3-year-old who has won his last two starts and arrives in decent form. He has already shown he handles this ground and has placed at today's trip, though he is now dropping back from 6½f. The yard has a solid 12% strike rate at Naas while the colt himself was well beaten when tried here on his only previous run at the track.
Yellowstone LakeKTB Fit 44/100
Yellowstone Lake is a fair performer who showed useful form when runner-up on debut before winning a maiden over 7f at this track last season. Dropping back to an untried 6f asks a fresh question and the wide draw in stall 15 is far from ideal. First-time headgear is now applied.
KTB verdict
Soul Love stands out as the KTB Selection. She is a useful performer in top form with three wins from five starts, a success at the trip, a win on good ground, and the benefit of the Burke yard's excellent 31% strike rate at Naas. Stall five is suitable for her held-up run-style in a race with a tentative pace shape. The main dangers are Xerling, who brings strong recent form and prior placed efforts at the track, and Tahcawin, who has shown consistent placed form over course and distance. Oh Cecelia and Temperance add further depth with their course records though both carry risks from wide draws or patchy recent form.
KTB Selection Soul Love
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Soul Love | 7/4 | BetTom |
| Xerling | 11/1 | BetTom |
| Tahcawin | 14/1 | Bet365 |
| Oh Cecelia | 25/1 | Bet365 |
| Temperance | 80/1 | William Hill |
| Chantez | 14/1 | BetTom |
| Sarahmae | 12/1 | Bet365 |
| Little Queenie | 33/1 | BetTom |
| Fregada | 10/1 | William Hill |
| Likedbymike | 12/1 | BetTom |
| Coconut Cove | 6/1 | BetTom |
| Treasure Rose | 20/1 | Bet365 |
| Focaccia | 150/1 | William Hill |
| Dancing Saxon | 16/1 | William Hill |
| Yellowstone Lake | 11/1 | William Hill |
This is the narrative read of the 7:00 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 strongest trainer record at Naas among the principals?
Soul Love's trainer K. R. Burke has a 31% strike rate at Naas with an A/E of 1.68 from 13 runs.
How many runners are wearing first-time headgear?
Six runners are wearing first-time headgear: Oh Cecelia, Temperance, Chantez, Coconut Cove, Treasure Rose and Yellowstone Lake.
Which horse is the only confirmed front-runner in the field?
Dancing Saxon tends to make the running or race on the pace according to the run-style note.
Which horses have won over the course and distance?
Soul Love has a success at this trip, Temperance won over this trip here last year, and Little Queenie has won over this trip.
What is the overall pace shape assessment for the race?
Pace tentative with low confidence, a possible front-runner but on thin evidence.
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