Naas Racing: Jel Pepper's Appearance Thwarts Joseph O'Brien's Chances
Jel Pepper Favoured in Ballyhane Stakes at Naas
The Ballyhane Stakes at Naas Racecourse is set to be a thrilling contest, with British-based horse Jel Pepper emerging as a strong contender. The juvenile race, worth €200,000, is the richest event of the year at Naas and has attracted a competitive field of 21 runners, including notable rivals like Green Sense and improving juveniles such as Howd'yadoit.
Trained by Paul and Oliver Cole, Jel Pepper has shown promising form, running well in the Group 2 July Stakes at Newmarket where it finished an unlucky third to Zavateri. The horse has been gelded since to aid progress, and its preference for softer ground, which is expected at Naas, bodes well for its performance.
Jel Pepper's connections have deliberately targeted this race, viewing it as an opportunity to maximize the horse's potential. The horse's odds are around 4/1 to 6/4, reflecting its strong recent form [3][5]. With the going at Naas reported as "Good to Yielding," which suits Jel Pepper's preference for some cut in the ground, the horse's chances are further enhanced.
The competition is substantial, but Jel Pepper's recent performances and suitability to conditions give it a solid prospect of victory [2][3]. Green Sense, a filly with an official 102-rating, is one of the horses trained by Joseph O'Brien, who has a quarter of the field in the Ballyhane Stakes. The contest has seen just one win by a cross-channel raider in its five-year history.
Elsewhere at the festival, Willie Mullins was the leading trainer for a 10th time. Jack Kennedy won the National Hunt prize with three winners, while Henry de Bromhead's Letiza bids to follow up its June success at Down Royal in a concluding handicap at Naas.
The official attendance for the week was 125,997, up from 116,374 in 2024, with on-course betting reaching over €7.5 million, an increase of 13% on 2024. The biggest crowd of the week was 26,234 on Friday evening. Tote betting was up by 20% to €6 million.
The Irish filly never got into contention in the Group One Henkel-Preis der Diana in Duesseldorf, while Garden Of Eden, the Ribblesdale winner, failed to land a blow in Sunday's German Oaks for Ryan Moore and Aidan O'Brien. Zavateri, the winner of the July Stakes, followed up its victory with a win at Goodwood last week.
The 2025 Galway festival ended with an almost 8% increase in attendances for the seven days. The Ballyhane Stakes, despite being €100,000 less than in 2024, remains a highly anticipated event, promising an exciting conclusion to the Naas Racecourse festival.
Jel Pepper, a horse trained by Paul and Oliver Cole, is expected to participate in the horse-racing event, the Ballyhane Stakes at Naas Racecourse. Despite strong competition from runners like Green Sense and Howd'yadoit, Jel Pepper's recent performances and suitability to the anticipated soft ground give it a solid prospect in the sports of racing and horse-racing.
