The Punchestown Festival is one of the biggest weeks in the jumps racing calendar. A hatful of Grade 1’s combined with some ultra-competitive handicaps provides punters with plenty to get their teeth stuck into. We’ve taken an early look at the Festival, identifying three horses that we believe provide ante-post value. Read our thoughts below, and keep an eye on our current 888 offer, which provides £30 in free bets when you bet £10.
GALOPIN DES CHAMPS (5.20, Wednesday April 28) 5/1
The Grade 1 Irish Mirror Novice Hurdle was most recently won by subsequent Gold Cup victor Minella Indo, and whilst there may not be a horse of that requisite class in Wednesday’s line-up there looks a value betting proposition in GALOPIN DES CHAMPS.
Winner of his sole French outing last May, Galopin Des Champs was beaten at prohibitive odds in each of his first two starts for trainer Willie Mullins. It was a surprise, therefore, to see him subsequently thrown in the deep end for a Grade 1 at the Dublin Racing Festival. Galopin Des Champs acquitted himself with plenty of credit there, finishing sixth behind subsequent runaway Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Appreciate It.
His next assignment was in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle at last month’s Cheltenham Festival. Galopin Des Champs brushed off a mark of 142 with ease to score there, beating the well-handicapped Imperial Cup winner Langer Dan. The menace in which Galopin Des Champs travelled through that contest strongly suggested that he was a horse of some potential, and the Martin Pipe has previous for unearthing future Grade 1 operators.
With this in mind, it seems a little surprise to see Galopin Des Champs available at as big as 5/1 for next Wednesday’s contest. He also has an entry in the Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle on the Friday, yet Ruby Walsh recently suggested that it seemed far more likely that Galopin Des Champs would take in this Wednesday engagement rather than attempt to beat Bob Olinger. Should he be in the final field next week, his profile of an improving horse, who has potential for more stepped up in trip, could well see his price collapse.
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MELON (5.55, Wednesday April 28) 12/1
The Punchestown Gold Cup promises to be one of the races of the week, Cheltenham Gold Cup 1-3 Minella Indo and Al Boum Photo look set to take their chances, whilst runaway Aintree winner Clan Des Obeaux is also expected to be supplemented. One horse who appears to have sneaked under the radar slightly, however, is MELON.
A credible third in a fog covered Punchestown in December’s John Durkan Chase, Melon bettered that performance when beaten a mere two lengths in the Grade 1 Savills Chase at Leopardstown in December. That form has received boost after boost, with the winner (A Plus Tard) finishing second in the Gold Cup, the second (Kemboy) winning the Irish Gold Cup on his next outing, the fourth (Allaho) winning the Ryanair, the fifth (Tornado Flyer) finishing third in the Ryanair, and even the sixth home Balko Des Flos finishing a 100/1 second in the Grand National.
Melon has failed to match that Savills form in his two subsequent outings, but there appears to have been genuine excuses for both performances, with him despising the hold-up tactics deployed in the Irish Gold Cup and failing to go the frenetic gallop set by Allaho in the Ryanair.
Melon seems to be happiest when able to set his own fractions, as he showed to best effect when going down by a nose in last season’s Marsh Novices’ Chase. A quick glance at next week’s line-up suggests that Melon should be able to race prominently – with stablemate Kemboy the only other real tearaway in the line-up. His 12/1 odds for the Punchestown Gold Cup are double that of Kemboy and appear to represent a bit of value when considering that there was only a length and a half separating them in the Savills.
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HEAVEN HELP US (5.25, Thursday April 29) 33/1 & (3.20, Saturday May 1) 10/1
One horse consistently overlooked by odds compilers is the Paul Hennessy trained HEAVEN HELP US. A classy bumper performer earlier in her career, the mare didn’t seem to take to fences earlier this season, but she has returned to the smaller obstacles in some style, running out a back-to-back winner of competitive handicaps at the Dublin and Cheltenham Festivals.
Her aforementioned victory at Leopardstown has worked out incredibly well, with the second (Global Equity), third (Telmesomethinggirl), fourth (Lady Breffni), and fifth (Botani) all winning since. Heaven Help Us bettered that performance when making all to land the Coral Cup at Cheltenham last month. That brought her form figures over hurdles to a more than respectable 13423711 – with that seventh-place finish coming behind Shishkin in the 2020 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
Heaven Help Us has entries in both the Stayers’ and Mares’ Grade 1 contests at Punchestown next week, and at odds of 33/1 and 10/1 respectively it is worth taking a chance on her in both contests. Obviously, the likelihood is that one of the bets will be lost, but with no clear indication at this stage which her preferred target is, it seems better to back her for both events than risk gambling on the wrong race.
Now 2-2 since fitted with cheekpieces, Heaven Help Us appears to be a mare making rapid progress. Potential backers should not be concerned with her 33/1 and 10/1 prices, as four of her five career wins have come at double-figure prices, something that further reiterates the opinion that she is consistently overlooked in betting markets.
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Ante-Post Punchestown Bets
GALOPIN DES CHAMPS (5.20, Wednesday April 28) 5/1
MELON (5.55, Wednesday April 28) 12/1
HEAVEN HELP US (5.25, Thursday April 29) 33/1 & (3.20, Saturday May 1) 10/1
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