The Punchestown Festival keeps National Hunt fans entertained this week with a host of Cheltenham and Aintree horses on show. Following festival form can be a recipe for disaster at this stage of the season as Punchestown but it is hard to get away from it tomorrow.
The feature race is the Champion Chase which looks wide open. Module and Somersby were no match for Sire De Grugy at the festival and will probably dominate the market. Module needed every yard of the two miles at Newbury in heavy ground to peg back Dodging Bullets and again looked short of pace at Cheltenham. His best form is over two and a half miles, although he is very closely matched with Somersby on Exeter form.
Hidden Cyclone has been on the go all winter and has been running well. He certainly wouldn’t be winning out of turn if he were to win here. I’m just favouring David Pipe’s Ballynagour here at an each-way price. He won at the festival with any amount in hand and ran a fair race at Aintree. He looked as though he would win between the last two but was outstayed after the last.
The RSA Chase form took a knock at Aintree with a disappointing run from O’Faolains Boy but I’d be inclined to put a rule through it. Four of those involved in that race turn out again for the Novice Champion Chase tomorrow including the third Morning Assembly and fourth Ballycasey. Interestingly, Ruby Walsh has chosen to ride Djakadam who fell in the JLT Novices’ Chase when still in contention.
It is difficult to make a comparison between that race and the RSA, but Walsh clearly feels Djakadam will be a force over this trip and that just about tips the balance. Walsh should certainly be on the score-sheet in the Champion Novice Hurdle with Faugheen who was one of the most impressive winners of festival week. He drops back half a mile here but was always racing keenly that day and should not be inconvenienced.
Sgt Reckless stayed on to be fourth at Cheltenham and then finished runner-up to Josses Hill. He didn’t seem to find as much off the bridle as seemed likely and Faugheen should have his measure.
Faugheen 4.20 Punchestown at 8-11 Ladbrokes
Ballynagour 5.30 Punchestown at 17-2 888Sport
Djakadam 6.40 Punchestown at 11-4 Paddy Power
