Graeme Rodway's advice on the first day of the Irish Flat turf season at Naas

Justina
3.30 Naas
2pts win

Lemista
4.30 Naas
1pt each-way

There might not be much racing on but nobody can complain about the quality on show behind closed doors at Naas and the Lodge Park Stud Irish EBF Park Express Stakes (4.30) is a cracking Group 3 featuring several potentially smart performers.

Blissful finished sixth behind Daahyeh in the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket when last seen in September and would hold genuine Classic claims if she could win this first time out for Aidan O’Brien and Wayne Lordan.

However at this early stage of the turf season it’s often the fittest horse, rather than the one with the most ability, who you want to side with. All bar one – Annie Fior – are making their seasonal debuts and even Annie Fior is returning from a break of 73 days.

With that in mind it’s worth looking into the trainers' records at this time of year with runners who are returning from a break and Ger Lyons usually has his string well forward.

The County Meath trainer has an 18 per cent strike-rate with runners who were returning from absences of 50 days or more in Irish turf races in March, since the start of 2016. That points to his two runners, Even So and Lemista, being fully wound up.

Even So, who is also down to carry the Sue Magnier colours, finished two and a quarter lengths behind Blissful on her debut in a Tipperary maiden last August and improved significantly on that form when landing a mile maiden at Gowran Park the following month. She is the pick of Colin Keane, but purely on form Lemista has a similar chance and is double the price.

Lemista looked in her element when slamming 13 other maidens on heavy ground over this mile trip at Gowran Park in October and should find these identical conditions ideal.

Chris Hayes is no bad replacement for Keane in the saddle and further improvement is likely.

The Naas Racecourse Business Club Madrid Handicap (3.30) is a wide-open three-year-old handicap and it might be worth taking a chance on Justina being ready first time.

Jessica Harrington has two winners from 19 runners using the same parameters we used for Ger Lyons, but another four finished in the first three and Justina won first time out last year.

She improved on that debut success over this 7f trip at Roscommon when second over a mile at Killarney in July and produced another career best when fourth back over this distance at the Galway festival in August. There should be better to come from her this season.

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