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Navan gallops morning: the inside track from connections

By Racing TV

Last Updated: Wed 4 Nov 2026

A busy morning in County Meath saw contenders taking to the course with trainers and jockeys offering the inside line on their runners ahead of the Navan Festival on 14-15 November, live on Racing TV.

Gavin Cromwell - Yeah Man & Perceval Legallois

Yeah Man is bidding to go one better than when second in the Troytown last year. (Pic: focusonracing.com)

Local trainer Gavin Cromwell will saddle Yeah Man and Perceval Legallois in the Troytown Handicap Chase, both of whom galloped on the course on Wednesday morning.

Yeah Man was second in last year's running of the race from just 1lb lower than his current mark. Cromwell said: "That was his best run of the season last year. He runs well fresh and seems well at home.

"He’s definitely suited to the race but you’re always vulnerable to something better handicapped, but he is in good form."

Perceval Legallois was pulled up on his two most recent starts and you would have to look back to February 2025 to find his latest victory, but he holds some strong historic form.

Cromwell added: "He’s been a great servant for us, disappointing in his last couple of runs but he had a nice run in the Midlands National at Kilbeggan. He might have been staying on past tired horses but he showed a glimmer of his old self."

"He has won the Paddy Power (2024) and won a couple of times at the Dublin Racing Festival, so he has a lot of ability.

"You don’t know what you're going to get with him but if he’s on a going day, then he could pop up."

Ian Donoghue - Vaureal

Vaureal latest success came in June at Punchestown.

Fellow Meath trainer Ian Donoghue pins his Troytown hopes on Vaureal, who has been kept busy through the year, winning at Punchestown in June but he made a lacklustre return to action when well-beaten at Clonmel in early October.

"He’s been a great horse for us." Donoghue said. "He’s a little bit out of the handicap now, so hopefully Firefox doesn’t run.

"I'm looking forward to him running, on a normal year with heavy ground, you wouldn’t be, but with the way the ground is he will take his chance.

"He was good and tough [when winning at Punchestown] and going up in trip looks like it will be a help to him. He's a confident horse, he gets in a rhythm and he stays well so I'm looking forward to running him."

Thomas Gibney - Intense Raffles & Kinturk Kalanisi

The grey Intense Raffles and trainer Tom Gibney. (Pic: INPHO/Morgan Treacy)

The 2024 Irish Grand National winner Intense Raffles will line up alongside KinturkKalanisi in the Troytown for trainer Thomas Gibney.

Intense Raffles has not got his head in front since his Irish National success and has suffered with some issues, as Gibney explained: "We really struggled with him last year and only just really got to grips with a couple of issues that he had.

"We won't really know for sure until we get back racing with him, he can look all well and good at home, but you just don’t know until you get on the track but the signs are positive at the moment."

Kinturk Kalanisi's latest success comes from just about as far back as his stablemate's, but he has run plenty of good races in defeat since winning a maiden hurdle at Navan in 2024.

"He started off last season [finishing] third in the Paddy Power and ran a cracker, looking like he was going to win it going to the last but he got a bit tired," said Gibney.

"He struggled a bit health-wise after that unfortunately and we never really got him back fully healthy.

"He’s another horse we’ve treated to try to get him back healthy, he's got the ability and he’s proved that to us already; he looked like he had the Leinster National in the bag when he unseated that day at the second last.

"So with a bit of luck and good health, who knows what he can do."

Sam Ewing

Jockey Sam Ewing was present to ride Koktail Brut, due to run at Naas this weekend, and Casheldale Lad, who is gearing up for the Morgiana Hurdle, for Gordon Elliott.

Ewing has enjoyed plenty of success at Navan in previous years, though victory in the Troytown has evaded him.

"I’ve always had great luck at Navan and have had a few festival winners, but hopefully I can go a few places closer in the Troytown this year," he explained.

"There’s always a great atmosphere here and I'm usually riding for the likes of Gordon [Elliott] and Noel [Meade] so you’re coming to ride nice horses with chances, so it's always great."

Gordon Elliott holds 11 entries in the Troytown at present, plenty of whom are towards the head of the market, as Ewing explained: "I wouldn’t have an idea yet what I'm riding, but there's plenty of quality in the field from Better Days Ahead and Firefox up at the top, and Search For Glory too.

"I wouldn’t mind riding any of them, The Wallpark too, there's a list as long as your arm of ones you wouldn't mind riding."

Gordon Elliott

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