The Punchestown Festival begins on Tuesday. Ireland’s own, end-of-season showpiece features eight races on its opening day, one of which looks set to be one of the highlights of the spring. Find out our selections through the card below, alongside Paddy Power‘s new customer offer of Bet £10 Get £45 In Free Bets.
Party Central (3.40 Punchestown) 7/2
This is not an enticing betting race, with it made up of a number of lower grade handicappers being chanced upped in class and a few principals who flattered to deceive last time out.
Best of these in the Cheltenham Grade 2 equivalent was Grangee, while Dinbolue fared best in Fairyhouse’s recent Grade 1 Mares Novice Hurdle. However, their presence in that 2m4f contest ensures they will have had a break of just nine days ahead of this contest.
There could be more to come in this company from Brides Hill, who was consistent until pulling up in a handicap at the Dublin Racing Festival won by PARTY CENTRAL. Overall, Gordon Elliott’s mare looks the percentage pick here.
She will have to concede 3lb to her main market rivals, but she was doing so to the tune of 5lb at Cheltenham, when ahead of Dinoblue and six lengths adrift of Grangee. The extra break she has had could be put to very good advantage back on a sounder surface here.
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Dysart Dynamo (4.15 Punchestown) 15/8
Willie Mullins pits arguably his two top novice hurdlers against each other here, in what could be the first great Grade 1 spectacle of the week.
Sir Gerhard remains unbeaten over obstacles and it was some performance by him to defeat Three Stripe Life in the Ballymore at Cheltenham. That was over 2m5f and came despite him pulling very hard in sodden conditions early on. For good measure, Three Stripe Life won a Grade 1 at Aintree next time out.
However, his hurdling was not smooth the last time he ran over this 2m trip, while he was also disappointing at this meeting in the Grade 1 bumper a year ago. That is enough reason to take him on with stablemate DYSART DYNAMO, who could yet be a major talent himself.
He set an unrelentingly furious gallop in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival. That ultimately led to his downfall, as he crashed out three from home.
There may well have been something left in the tank and for all he almost certainly would have been second to Constitution Hill, Nicky Henderson’s charge looks a freak of nature. There is every chance Dysart Dynamo may repeat his two performances from earlier in the season where he went from the front and simply spreadeagled his fields.
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Ardla (4.50 Punchestown) 4/1
The opening handicap of the meeting and it is extremely competitive.
Top weight Eskylane could well be dangerous after his recent fifth to the reopposing Glan at Fairyhouse. He is fancied to turn the tables with race fitness under his belt. However, that race is another which came very recently and it is worth looking from further afield than that contest.
Great Bear is interesting on his first run for Henry De Bromhead, but ARDLA is a horse who looks very feasibly treated for Michael Halford.
He was second, beaten just 1½ lengths by Grand Jury back in November and swiftly got off the mark next time out at Navan. He was then third, beaten only 2½ lengths by the Martin Pipe winner Banbridge.
He makes his handicap debut off a mark of 125, which should make him difficult to beat, as he looks at least a 130s horse if at his best. Though some of training’s big guns have amassed some dangers behind him in the market, he might be able to fend them all off.
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Energumene (5.25 Punchestown) 8/11
This has the potential to be the clash of the season in Ireland. Between them, ENERGUMENE and Chacun Pour Soi have lost just once when racing on home turf.
The older of the two still clings to a higher official rating. Chacun Pour Soi, rated at 176, has 1lb to spare over his younger neighbour. His three most recent defeats have all come in England, but despite advancing years, he has remained imperious whenever he has appeared in Ireland.
However, he has yet to complete a race alongside Energumene. Patrick Mullins may well have felt he was travelling well aboard his mount at Cheltenham, but Paul Townend ultimately cruised home on Tony Bloom’s runner, potentially with a little more to come.
The eight-year-old is yet to lose in Ireland full stop, including when rampant at this meeting a year ago. He may also be better going back right-handed. Chacun Pour Soi is not passed over lightly, but younger legs can win the day.
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Caldwell Potter (6.00 Punchestown) 4/1
One of a number of bumpers, all of which could be very difficult to call.
The easy parachute option is to side with Willie Mullins, but there is too intriguing an enemy here in the shape of CALDWELL POTTER. There could well be something in his naming here too.
A full brother to Grade 1 winning novice hurdler Mighty Potter, he is owned like that horse by Caldwell Construction, a continuously emerging name in the ownership game. Mighty Potter himself won a bumper on his debut at Punchestown last year, while both are half-brothers to the equally useful pair of French Dynamite and Indiana Jones. This is a talented family.
Even his moniker, named most directly after the firm who purchased him, suggests there is a lot of faith riding on this horse. In a race in which little is known about any of the field, even tiny factors such as this can be taken into account.
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Millers Bank (6.35 Punchestown) 9/1
This selection comes from the playbook of how to upset racing fans in one tip.
Choosing a British- trained runner in an Irish Grade 1 may be a fool’s game, let alone a Grade 1 featuring golden flower child Bob Olinger. However, Bob’s reputation took some knock at Cheltenham where, despite winning the Turners Novices’ Chase, he was put in his place by Galopin Des Champs until Willie Mullins’ monster fell at the last.
There is no superstar against him here, but Bob Olinger had a hard enough race based on how he walked up the hill and 3m is certain to test his stamina regardless. He may well be the second best novice chaser in training, but he is still worth taking on.
And so we come to MILLERS BANK, who provided Alex Hales with a memorable day at Aintree recently. The eight-year-old won the Grade 1 Manifesto Novices’ Chase in fine style. Though it was a weak renewal, he could not have been more impressive. Wind surgery in January looks to have done wonders for his jumping.
He too steps up to 3m, but he was full of running at the end of that particular race and with others in this field not looking entirely reliable, he is worth taking a chance on away from home.
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Vital Island (7.10 Punchestown) 6/1
With ten starts over the Punchestown banks, VITAL ISLAND can certainly be classified as a course specialist.
That title may elude him until he wins over this course, but he has gone close on a fair few occasions and has never been better than on his most recent two efforts at the track. Indeed, he has never been in better form in point to points either, winning a particularly strong event in that sphere back in November.
He was second in this race a year ago, going down only narrowly to Singing Banjo while conceding 7lb. He was also fourth against some genuine cross country specialists in February at 125/1.
That was a top effort and though Willie Mullins’ Good Bye Sam may be a tricky opponent, he gets 5lb and knows his way around here. That experience can see him go close.
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Vadsa Queen (7.45 Punchestown) 11/2
Another Caldwell Construction-owned newcomer could easily prove dangerous in the shape of Firm Footings here, as could Willie Mullins’ half-brother to Lisnagar Oscar in Lisnagar Fortune.
However, the latter’s stablemate, VADSA QUEEN, is particularly interesting here. She will be the mount of Jody Townend, who has won on three of her last five rides, two of which were on bumper horses for Willie Mullins.
Indeed, she has a 30% strike rate in that sphere, with a profit to a level stake of 55.49pts all in the last five years. That is an outstanding record for a jockey who would not normally be on the first string.
This horse has much more of a flat pedigree, but is related to horses who did well over middle distances or further in France. Her rider’s 5lb claim is useful and it is very interesting she goes straight into National Hunt racing here.
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