It’s day two of the Punchestown Festival on Wednesday with the likes of the Punchestown Gold Cup and Champion I.N.H Flat Race being the main attractions. Our in-house tipster Steve Chambers is here with all his best Punchestown Day 2 Tips here, so check them out…
4:15pm Punchestown – Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle
There’s a fascinating Grade 1 contest at 4:15pm as Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle hero Stellar Story locks horns with recent Aintree Grade 1 winner Dancing City and that pair should serve up a thrilling battle in the 2m 7f 192y. However, plenty of others take their chance and there could be more value in Gordon Elliott’s BETTER DAYS AHEAD, who heads into this race on the back of a fine win in the Martin Pipe at the Cheltenham Festival.
Stepping out of handicap company and taking on proven Grade 1 contenders here, Better Days Ahead will need to continue on an upward curve, but that Martin Pipe looked a pretty smart renewal and with Dancing City making a quick turnaround after winning at Aintree he could prove vulnerable, while Better Days Ahead’s stablemate Stellar Story relished the stamina test at Cheltenham and he may just be tapped for toe here.
4:50pm Punchestown – Race & Stay At Punchestown Champion I.N.H. Flat Race
JASMIN DE VAUX is looking to emulate Dream To Share’s heroics of 12 months ago by winning the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival and then going on to the Champion I.N.H Flat Race at the Punchestown Festival. The Willie Mullins-trained raider is a warm order with the bookmakers to land the prize on Wednesday afternoon and it’s hard to not see him doing the double.
He beat Romeo Coolio by one-and-three-quarter lengths in the Champion Bumper in March and that pair are set for another titanic tussle, but Jasmin De Vaux, who has only had two starts under Rules is likely to improve again for that outing at Cheltenham and he looks a class above the rest of his rivals here and he can land the prize for favourite backers.
6.00pm Punchestown – HSS Hire Handicap Chase
One of the toughest betting heats on Wednesday comes at 6.00pm and the one to beat is James Du Berlais, who was last seen finishing second in the Topham Handicap Chase over the Grand National fences at Aintree, but Willie Mullins’ star will have the burden of top weight here and he could be vulnerable to one or two lower down the handicap.
An eye-catching double-figure priced contender is BRIDESWELL LAD, who lines up on the back of a shock 33/1 Listed win at Leopardstown in early March and the eight-year-old is capable of going close again. He’s been given a 6lbs rise by the handicapper for that win, so he will need to improve, but while a host of rivals in this have struggled to get their head in front of late he is one that appears to be on the upgrade, so is a decent each-way play.
6.35pm Punchestown – Weatherbys General Stud Book Irish EBF Mares Flat Race
We end day two with a Mares Flat Race and it’s hard to look past AURORA VEGA, who takes her chance for Willie Mullins and the daughter of Quevega can prove to be a real class act and land the finale in fine style.
She was victorious in her first three career starts, but then suffered a shock defeat when sent off odds-on at Leopardstown in a Grade 2 contest. However, she has been off the track since that loss in February, so she’s had time to get over and providing the ground doesn’t come up too soft then she can storm back to winning ways.
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