Kerry National Runners 2025 - Full Field of 18 Take On Early Season Jumps Handicap

One of the first Nationals of the season takes place in Ireland next Wednesday, 24th September with Listowel hosting the Kerry National. Run over 3m, it is one of the showpieces of early autumn jumps racing, with plenty of those campaigned over the summer having this as one of their final targets until the spring due to traditionally good ground prevailing.

The field is headed by the unexposed You Oughta Know for Willie Mullins. His Closutton yard last won the race with Cabaret Queen in 2020 and their seven-year-old is the likely stable number one having comfortably got off the mark over fences last time. He would be stepping up to 3m for just the second time in his career, but looks a likely contender to stay the trip and has a potentially lenient handicap mark.

A regular in these events, Three Card Brag looks set to be the primary contender for Mullins’ old rival Gordon Elliott. The eight-year-old was only eighth in the Galway Plate over the summer, but will prefer the extra distance and has long threatened to make light of his current handicap mark.

Mullins can also count on Spanish Harlem, who belatedly got off the mark over fences at Punchestown in June and who was fourth in Sandown’s bet365 Gold Cup to conclude the previous jumps season, and the mare Arctic Fly, a two-time chase winner in five starts but who has never raced beyond 2m4f. Elliott, meanwhile, has Grade 2-winning hurdler and top-weight Pied Piper, who won his first three chase starts over the summer, former Mayo National winner Duffle Coat, and this summer’s Galway Plate third Shecouldbeanything among his arsenal.

Cheltenham Festival runner-up Thecompnaysergeant represents last year’s winning trainer Gavin Cromwell, with Joseph O’Brien, who has won this twice, sending out bottom-weight San Salvador, with former winner Busselton only a reserve currently. Other notables to feature in the line-up are another Cheltenham second in Anyway for David Kenneth Budds, as well as a familiar name in Paul Nolan’s Sandor Clegane.

There is set to be British interest as Mickey Bowen sends over Light N Strike, third in the Summer Cup on home shores last time out. Plenty of big names have also changes table recently, as French Dynamite will represent Eric McNamara for the first time, as will Monbeg Park for Jack Foley. Salvador Ziggy will be having just his second run for Barry Connell too.

Emmet Mullins is always a man to look out for and Sea Music will give him a chance in the race. The remaining pair are last-time-out winner Outside The Door for Padraig Roche and Henry De Bromhead’s consistent Le Coq Hardi.

Kerry National 2025 Runners