'He's a strong stayer and looks a level above them - he's worth a decent bet'

The thaw has taken its time but temperatures look set to rise enough for Thurles and Navan to end the jumping drought on Sunday.

They are two contrasting cards. Navan, which is subject to a 3pm inspection on Saturday, is jam-packed full of fascinating races and potentially smart horses, whereas Thurles is much lower key. That said, there will still be seven winners there and it is just a matter of locating them.

Let's kick off at Navan and the opening Irish Stallion Owners EBF Maiden Hurdle (12.00). There might be 24 runners, but I can easily narrow it down to three, maybe even two. The Henry de Bromhead-trained Lets Go Champ won his point way back in 2019 so is returning from a massive 1,316-day absence. It's going to be a big ask for him.