2023 Punchestown Festival Thursday Preview – DS
2023 Punchestown Festival Thursday Preview
Gold Speed finally got us off the mark with a 20/1 place on Wednesday. Rocco Bay seemed to go wrong and was pulled up, hopefully she’ll be ok. Eye Van ran well for a long way but eventually faded into 5th. The race likely came too soon for Whatcouldhavebeen and she dropped away in the closing stages. We’ll be backing some familiar faces on Day 3, 2023 Punchestown Festival Thursday tips are below.
3.40 – Specialist Group Handicap Hurdle (88-123)
Snapius looks a shade overpriced at odds of 33/1 for this competitive looking 16f handicap hurdle. Trained by James Nash, we were on track when he ran a really nice race over this C&D back in January. In that race he stayed on very well for 3rd under Gavin Brouder on unsuitably soft ground off a mark of 109.
This son of Buratino won twice on the level, both on good ground, so it was surprising to see him land a maiden hurdle on bottomless ground at Cork last time out. The runner up, Calico, was in receipt of 7lbs and she has since gone on to shed her maiden tag at Tramore. She had previously run well in a Listed Mares race at Aintree behind the 130 rated Dixon Cove so it was a decent performance.
Favoured Ground
Snapius will have his favoured conditions for the first time over timber on home soil this afternoon. It was good to soft when he flopped in Haydock but he was so bad that it makes sense to put a line through that run. Maybe he is just a poor traveller.
He’s only 3lbs higher than when third here earlier this season and he was only 4L behind Tekao in a Leopardstown maiden at Xmas. He was 3L behind the winner Bialystok off a mark of 130 in a handicap earlier this week so a mark of 112 should be workable for Snapius. He’s up against older horses here, which won’t be easy, but we may not have seen the best of him yet over hurdles so at 33/1, he is worth chancing e/w.
2023 Punchestown Festival Thursday Tip: Snapius e/w @ 33/1 (6 Places) nb
4.15 – Pigsback Handicap Chase (Grade B)
We backed Espion Du Chenet at Leopardstown a couple of times this season but he was given too much to do on both occasions. A hold up sort, he likes this track and we were on when he won a handicap chase at this course last season. Philip Enright did the steering that day off a mark of 127 and he is back off the exact same rating today.
This horse has had nice ground just once this season, when 2nd at Thurles on his penultimate start. Last time he was pulled up at Gowran but the ground was to blame for that. He is a hold up sort that needs to be ridden very quietly and produced late, just like he was here last year.
Right Handed
Four of his six chase wins have come going right handed and his form figures on RH tracks on yielding or quicker at 16/17f read 53525412. He has won on testing ground in the past off much lower marks but he is at least a stone better when he gets nice ground.
Louise Lyons’ charge was 5th in this last season off 125 and even though he’s 2lb higher, he has already proven he can be competitive (and win) off this current mark. This looks like it will be run at a good gallop, which will suit, and at 33/1, Espion Du Chenet is worth chancing e/w for small stakes.
2023 Punchestown Festival Thursday Tip: Espion Du Chenet e/w @ 33/1 (4 places)
5.25 – Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle (Grade 1)
I have absolutely zero interest in backing anything in the Banks Race so we skip ahead to the Stayers. It looks an extremely competitive renewal and Cheltenham and Aintree winner Sire Du Berlais is as big as 6/1. It is a big ask for a horse of his age to win three Grade 1 staying races in the space of six weeks and Aintree was just 12 days ago. If the 11yo manages to add another big one, it’ll be some achievement.
Teahupoo was behind Sire Du Berlais at Cheltenham. Serial retiree Davy Russell had a shocker on board the son of Masked Marvel and it was a race he probably should have won. His best form is on much softer ground than he’ll get today though and that has to rate as a major concern for favourite backers.
Mullins Challenge
As we have seen already this week, Willie Mullins is the man to follow in Punchestown Grade 1s. He supplies four of the nine runners here. Townend is on the 2022 winner of this race, Klassical Dream. He was a neck behind Teahupoo over 20f at Fairyhouse in December but he ran an absolute stinker at Cheltenham. The return to better ground is in his favour and he is 3/4 in Grade 1s at Punchestown (only defeat came on soft). Obvious claims if at his best.
Monkfish is the unknown. He was hailed as the second coming in his breakout season in 2021 when his sole defeat came at this meeting. He was absent for two years after that effort and he couldn’t beat Asterion Forlonge on his comeback at Fairyhouse last month. In fairness, he should come on for that run and if the dreaded bounce factor isn’t an issue, he should turn that form around. Will that be good enough to win? I’m not too sure.
Bob Can Bounce Back
We backed Ashdale Bob ante-post for Cheltenham but he ran a shocker on the gluey ground. Previously, he got to within 3L of Home By The Lee at Leopardstown and at this festival last year, his last time racing over 24f on nice ground, he ran a huge race to finish 1.25L 2nd to Klassical Dream in this race.
At the time of Cheltenham Jessie Harrington’s horses were bang out of form but that isn’t the case now. Her flat horses are flying and this horse seems to save his best for Punchestown. He finished 2nd in a Grade 1 novice here in 2021, he finished 2nd in this race in 2022 and with the ground coming in his favour, he has place claims again at 14/1.
McKiernan Magic
We have backed Meet And Greet twice in the past. We were on at Aintree two weeks ago when he just missed place money in 4th. When he finished 3rd over C&D in the G1 Novice here last year we were also on at huge odds. The bookies are discounting him again today, chalking him up at 33/1. That is too big.
He was only 3L behind Blazing Khal two runs ago at Navan and he had Sire Du Berlais 7L behind that day. At Leopardstown, his last Irish run at 24f, he also ran a massive race to finish 3.5L behind Home By The Lee in the G1 in which Ashdale Bob was 0.5L ahead in 2nd (Flooring Porter 4th). He’s been placed on two of his four Punchestown runs and his form figures in G1 company read 334. Hopefully Aintree hasn’t left a mark and if it hasn’t, Meet And Greet can run big for e/w players at 33/1.
2023 Punchestown Festival Thursday Tip: Meet And Greet e/w @ 33/1
6.00 – Conway Piling Handicap Hurdle (Grade B)
Hopefully it is going to be a good day for Oliver McKiernan because I fancy another of his here. We were on Gatsby Grey at Aintree and he ran a blinder to get us place money in 5th. The money came for him that day off a mark of 141 and he endured a rough enough passage. He managed to stay on into 2nd place after the last but in the end, his effort petered out. The son of Waldpark was beat 6.5L for the win by Western Balboa but he was only 1.5L behind the runner up.
Philip Enright retains the ride and the drying ground will be in his mount’s favour. He hasn’t had many chances on nice ground but on the rare occasions he has had good in the description he has form figures of 512. The second came in a G1 novice hurdle here last season when he was 4L behind Mighty Potter, quality form.
His run at Leopardstown over Christmas off 139 indicated he had a race in him off that mark and he is in off that same rating today. The more the ground dries out the better and once he gets a bit of luck in running, Gatsby Grey can run a massive race here at odds of 16/1.
2023 Punchestown Festival Thursday Tip: Gatsby Grey e/w @ 16/1 (6 places) NAP
6.35 – Barberstown Castle Novice Chase (Grade 1)
A paltry field of just four for this Grade 1 Novice Chase. I’d love to see Dysart Dynamo win after his fall last time but El Fabiolo will surely prove a tough nut to crack. Saint Roi is another solid performer but he has a dozen lengths to find with the fav on their Cheltenham form. No e/w betting so a race to just watch. No bet.
