Waterford trainer Henry de Bromhead holds a strong hand in the €100,000 Kilmurray Group Midlands National at Kilbeggan Racecourse on Friday evening.
De Bromhead will be represented by three horses in the 14-runner field over three miles and a furlong for the Kilbeggan season highlight, sponsored by Kilmurray’s Homevalue Hardware in Mullingar.
2025 Listed winner Amirite will carry a top weight of 11-12 in a race he was also runner-up to in 2024. Five-pound contender Paddy O’Brien will ride the 10-year-old on Friday night.
McHale Mayo’s recent National winner Native Speaker will get help from Bromhead stable jockey Darragh O’Keeffe as he bids to add a second Summer National to his CV.
Raglan Road, winner of two of his last three races, is the latest inmate of Knockeen Stables and will benefit from the help of JP McManus’ retained rider Harry Cobden in the saddle.
Mullins is yet to win the Midlands National
Jumps champion Willie Mullins will attempt to win the race for the first time since its inauguration in 1997. The Closutton trainer will saddle both Punchestown Festival winner Uncle Tom and Yoradreamer, runner-up in the three-horse Jim Ryan Memorial Novice Chase at Punchestown early last month. Paul Townend will wear the mount on Uncle Tom, while Seán O’Keeffe will wear the Brookhouse colors aboard the Yoradreamer.
Tipperary trainer John Ryan is responsible for four of the horses competing in the Midlands National, with Drumgill, a seven-time winner and purchased for €5,000, likely to be his best chance of winning the €100,000 race. The Templemore handler has an impressive recent record at Kilbeggan, having had two winners and two seconds from just six runners at the June meeting.
Enda Bolger’s runner Pride Of Place managed the Tote Killarney National on his penultimate outing, while Boston Rover, who has not raced since last October, could be the strongest of Gordon Elliott’s trio to take on the starter.
The first of seven races will begin at 4:50 p.m. The Kilmurray Group Midlands National will be released at 6:32 p.m.
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