The racing season continues apace in the run-up to Christmas, with a deluge of meetings giving punters a chance to boost their festive bankroll. That’s easier said than done, of course, and those heading to Naas on Monday, 16th December, would have done well to escape the County Kildare venue with a profit.
Over the course of the eight-race card, not one of the favourites came home in front. Ordinarily, Bambino Fever’s defeat at odds of 1/4 would have represented the biggest shock on the card. However, that was nothing compared to what unfolded in race three. A low-key event on paper, the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Academy Hurdle produced one of the longest-priced winners in Irish racing history, providing the gobsmacked trainer with his first winner in over a decade.
It’s Bobsled Time for Richard Morrissey
If there was ever a race set up for a big price shock, it was surely this 2m1f affair for the three-year-old hurdlers. The 2/1 favourite O’Grady Cracker was making his racecourse debut, while second favourite I’m All In had unshipped the unfortunate Jack Kennedy on his only two starts.
A wide-open, almost unfathomable affair, but you still needed a vivid imagination to be drawn to the claims of the Richard Morrissey-trained It’s Bobsled Time. Sporting the Jamaican-inspired silks of the Cool Runnings Syndicate, this unlikely winner is sired by Sir Michael Stoute’s Group 2 winner, Telescope.
In two previous outings, racegoers may well have reached for such a viewing implement (or at least binoculars) to discover what had become of It’s Bobsled Time. Making his debut at Cork in October, he set off slowly and maintained that pace to be beaten by 50 lengths at the line. Returning to the Killarney Road venue in November, he put in an almost carbon copy performance – losing out by a mere 61 lengths on this occasion.
Heading to Naas for his third assignment, he was unsurprisingly sent off as the 250/1 rank outsider of the 14-runner field. However, against all expectations, It’s Bobsled Time decided that today was the day he would become a racehorse. Whether it was the Naas air or Michael Kenneally taking over in the saddle, only the horse knows, but this effort was a huge improvement on his previous displays.
Naas Irish Stallion Farms EBF Academy Hurdle Result (15th Dec 2025)
| Positon | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | It’s Bobsled Time | Richard Morrissey | Michael Kenneally | 250/1 |
| 2nd | Ritz Plan | Joseph Patrick O’Brien | J J Slevin | 9/2 |
| 3rd | Kilbarry Alexy | Conor O’Keeffe | Darragh O’Keeffe | 16/1 |
Once again racing towards the rear, this time, It’s Bobsled Time held on to the coattails of the leading pack. Only around 10th turning for home, he began to pick off rivals once he switched to the inside of the track. With the final two hurdles omitted due to the low sun, It’s Bobsled Time appeared to enjoy the long run in and responded to Kenneally’s every urging. Hitting the front at the furlong pole, he forged clear to score by a comfortable two and a quarter length from Joseph O’Brien’s Ritz Plan.
𝟐𝟓𝟎/𝟏!
It’s Bobsled Time (for the Cool Runnings syndicate 👌) comes from way back to score at a monster price for the Richard Morrissey stable @NaasRacecourse pic.twitter.com/eqZzmIjz1Z
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) December 15, 2025
Joint Third Biggest Shock of All-Time
There have been 17 winners at odds of 150/1 over the course of Irish racing history. Whether as a sign of racing’s increasing unpredictability or the more generous pricing of outsiders, 16 of those shocks have occurred in the past five years.
It’s Bobsled Time’s incredible display places him joint third on the list of all-time shocks in Ireland, lying behind only:
He Knows No Fear (2020)
By unheralded sire Mourayan and a 12-length twelfth of 14 on debut, He Knows No Fear started at odds of 300/1 in his second outing. Despite those odds, the Luke Comer-trained runner flew home down the outside to deny Even Money favourite Agitare by a head. He Knows No Fear ended his career with two wins from 19 starts, with his second victory also coming at Leopardstown in 2021.
Sawbuck (2022)
The second entry into the 300/1 club came at Punchestown in 2022. In four previous outings on the flat and two over jumps, Conor O’Dwyer’s Sawbuck had never finished within 13½ lengths of the winner. Not an obvious winner in waiting ahead of the Bar One Racing Quick Deposit and Withdraw Maiden Hurdle. Nevertheless, Sawbuck grabbed the lead by the second hurdle and never looked back on his way to a comfortable four-length success. Sawbuck failed to win again in six subsequent career outings.
Morrissey Celebrates First Win Since 2013/14 Season
It’s Bobsled Time stunned all in attendance at Naas, and it appears that his trainer was equally surprised. Unable to attend the track due to family illness, Morrissey recounts witnessing the stunning display from home.
“I was gobsmacked. I was eating my dinner, and I nearly choked. I was just hoping we would run well and get a nice mark.”
For three-horse trainer Morrissey, this represented his first winner or placed runner under rules since 2013/14. Although, in fairness to the Dungarvan handler, he has had only 12 runners in the intervening years and is operating at a respectable 18% strike rate since 2013. Needless to say, Morrissey is now showing a mighty profit to level stakes!