'Back over fences can make the difference' - Alan Sweetman with three Naas tips

Know The Game is a rarity as a horse from the Jim Dreaper stable with a lower rating over fences than over hurdles.

The six-year-old can exploit a minor discrepancy off a mark of 93 in a 2m handicap chase at the venue where he ran his best race over hurdles last season, finishing third behind the strongly fancied Better Times Ahead and subsequent Cork novice winner Kashi in a 25-runner handicap in March.

Dreaper gave Know The Game his first run of the new campaign in a handicap chase at Limerick in October. He was probably in need of the outing, over a trip that stretched his stamina, and was soundly beaten in fifth.

Reverting to hurdles at Thurles last month, he produced a livelier effort to take second behind a wide-margin winner, despite showing an ungainly hurdling technique at times.

Back over fences, and 6lb below his current hurdles rating, he can provide another winner for jockey Keith Donoghue who is enjoying the best season of his career.

A recent fourth placing at Clonmel should have brought Rathnaleen Kal to peak fitness for her run in a maiden hurdle confined to horses who have never reached the first three.

A half-sister to a bumper winner for Noel Meade, the Eoin McCarthy-trained mare improved on last season's bumper form when making her seasonal and hurdling debut in the Clonmel event won by an odds-on chance from the powerful Gavin Cromwell stable.

Cromwell now supplies an intriguing runner in Yeah Man, a point-to-point winner and 114-rated chaser, having his first start over hurdles. However, the trip may prove short of his best, and Rathnaleen Kal can prevail with a little help from Gary Noonan's 7lb claim.

Dropping in handicap grade after a pleasing run at Cork, Go Gill Go may have the winning of the qualified riders' handicap hurdle in the series run in memory of John Thomas McNamara.

Trained near Nenagh by James Grace, the mare won a maiden hurdle at Sligo last season and later ran well in several handicap appearances. After a loss of form, she has been back to something like her best on her last three starts.

Rider Paul Lake has ridden only once in an official race but was successful in a Punchestown event in the Up The Yard challenge for stable staff in 2019.