2023 Punchestown Festival Tuesday Preview – DS
2023 Punchestown Festival Tuesday Preview
We avoided a wipeout on Saturday thanks to Revich, 3rd in the Spring Cup. It has been a recurring theme in the last few previews but at least the horses placing have usually been the NAP or NB so we are maximising the small returns we are getting. Hopefully we can end our search for a winner in the extremely busy week that lies ahead. Check out our 2023 Punchestown Festival Tuesday tips below.
3.40 – Mares Novice Hurdle (Listed)
They were giving the ground as yielding to soft on Monday at Punchestown but I find it hard to believe there’s yielding in the description. We had a very wet weekend in Ireland and with more forecast throughout today, those horses who were hoping to finally get nice ‘Spring Ground’ are going to be pretty disappointed, at least for the first couple of days of the Festival.
In the opener, a Listed hurdle for mares only, most of the market principals enjoy a bit of dig in the ground. The favourite, Shecouldbeanything, was pulled out of Fairyhouse last time due to the testing ground. She won her maiden on bad ground but her best run came over 21f on yielding at this track behind Hauturiere and she won her P2P on good to yielding. She won a bumper over 16f but her best two hurdle runs are at 20f so the trip today is a worry.
Mullins Battalion
As is going to be the case in most of the Listed/Graded races this week, Willie Mullins has multiple runners. Night And Day (Townend), Nikini (Patrick) and Saylavee (Danny) represent him here and they are 9/2, 5/1 and 15/2 respectively. Not much in the way of e/w value there. The Model Kingdom likes this track and she could be a tad overpriced at 8/1 off the back of a poor run at Cheltenham.
Ladybank dead heated over 20f here with Princess Zoe back in January before flopping in March at the Cheltenham Festival. Her first run didn’t amount to much either and she is hard to fancy at 12/1. The only angle I can find at a price is with Henning at odds of 14/1. She’s from a family that her trainer knows well and Denis Hogan actually won a big handicap chase at this meeting with her sister Moyhenna back in 2019.
Right Handed
That mare won three times at Punchestown from four starts and she was 5th in this race in 2018. All of her career wins came going right handed and it looks like that might be a family trait. Henning’s three wins have come on right handed tracks and she comes into this on the back of a confidence boosting handicap win at Limerick (16f sft, runner up won since).
This mare is owner bred, like her siblings, and you can be sure they’ll be desperate to get some black type into her. Good ground and 20f probably counted against her when she tried Grade 2 company for the first time in February and she has won her last two starts over 16f on soft/yielding ground. If anything from a ‘smaller’ yard is going to upset the big guns, Henning looks the most likely candidate at odds of 14/1.
2023 Punchestown Festival Tuesday Tip: Henning e/w @ 14/1 (4 places) NAP
4.15 – Champion Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)
I saw an interesting statistic the other day. In the last 10 years at the Punchestown Festival Henry De Bromhead has won 6 Grade 1s, Gordon Elliott has won 9 and Willie Mullins has won 72. Those that claim Irish NH racing is in rude health probably won’t like that stat but it shows just how near a monopoly it has become. He has three of the five runners here and chances are, one of his will win.
Diverge ran on well for 3rd behind Facile Vega at Cheltenham and those two spearhead the market. Il Etait Temps was 5th in the same race and Mullins will be aiming for a 1-2-3 in this first Grade 1 of the week. Diverge was a big eyecatcher in March and of those three, he’d be my idea of the winner.
Stinker
We backed No Looking Back at Aintree but for whatever reason he ran an absolute stinker. Maybe he travelled over badly because he ran nowhere near the level he is capable of. That was just 11 days ago so presumably there was nothing wrong physically, perhaps he just had an off day.
Previous to that run, he got to within 1.25L of Irish Point at Naas in March, to whom he was conceding 9lbs. He absolutely hacked up in a G1 Novice at Aintree next time. All three of this lad’s wins have come going right handed so hopefully this track will spark a revival.
Soft ground is absolutely fine and if he can repeat the level of form he showed at Naas, he could beat at least two of these. At odds of 50/1 it is just about worth chancing that he can beat three of them and hopefully nick a bit of e/w money.
2023 Punchestown Festival Tuesday Tip: No Looking Back e/w @ 50/1
4.50 – Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle (Grade B)
The one that has the potential to outrun his odds in this handicap hurdle is Man O Work. Trained by Paul Fahey, this son of Workforce has failed to complete the last twice. At Leopardstown in February he was sent off at just 10/1 but he fell early on. He was then just 14/1 at Sandown last time where he was pulled up on bottomless ground. Those two runs are the reason he is 25/1 but if he reproduces the form he showed at Fairyhouse (16f sft) in December, there is no way he should be that price.
In that valuable heat he ran a blinder to finish 4th of 17 off 129, 8L behind the winner Merlin Giant. With Cian Cullinane’s claim he was getting 5lbs from the winner. Today, he is getting 19lbs from that rival and he is the 5/1 fav. On his first handicap hurdle start, off 127 at Listowel, he finished 2nd of 14 behind Prairie Dancer. He races off 128 today and Cian Cullinane is back on board claiming 7lbs.
Last year, this 5yo was considered good enough to run in a G1 at this meeting. His trainer thinks very highly of him and as he showed at Listowel and Fairyhouse, he is more than capable of placing off his current mark. Obviously, his last two runs temper confidence but he has had plenty of time to get over Sandown and if he is in the same form as he was at Fairyhouse, hopefully Man O Work can sneak into the money at odds of 25/1.
2023 Punchestown Festival Tuesday Tip: Man O Work e/w @ 25/1 (5 places) NB
5.25 – William Hill Champion Chase (Grade 1)
Champion Chase winner Energumene is back to defend his title. Bar a rare blip at Cheltenham in January this horse has looked a cut above his rivals and he is impossible to oppose. This will probably be a 1-2-3 job for Mullins, though you wouldn’t write him off having the 1-2-3-4. A crap punting race that I’m more than happy to leave alone. No bet.
2023 Punchestown Festival Tuesday Tip: No bet
6.35 – Champion Novice Chase (Grade 1)
Another Mullins’ benefit? Henry De Bromhead will hope not. He has the jolly here, Journey With Me, a G3 winner at Naas when last sighted six weeks ago. Previously he got to within a length of Impervious at this track, rock solid form. Testing ground is fine and he’ll be hoping to fend off a four pronged Willie Mullins challenge.
Three of his entered horses ran at Cheltenham and Fairyhouse. None of them managed to win. Classic Getaway last ran 150 days ago at Gowran (20f hvy) and he likes it here but Paul Townend prefers Appreciate It. Feronily is the only other runner and Emmet Mullins’ charge is not without a chance on the form of his chase debut at Cork. However, nothing is priced longer than 10/1 and with a busy week in front of us, there’ll be better betting opportunities. No Bet.
