2024 Punchestown Festival Tuesday Preview – DS
2024 Punchestown Festival Tuesday Preview
Our NB Helnwein won for us at 25s on Saturday and we also nicked a place with Zip at 12/1. I was bitterly disappointed with Kinondo Kwetu. He just didn’t jump well and perhaps he’s best left alone until he is back on a left handed track. This is a crazy busy week with Punchestown and the Guineas Festival at Newmarket. The fun and games start in Ireland tomorrow, get Dave Stevos’ 2024 Punchestown Festival Tuesday tips below.
3.05 – Series Final Handicap Hurdle (0-130)
First of all, the weather. After a rare dry few days last week the track had dried out to yielding, good to yielding in places. However, the heavens opened on Sunday through into Monday and with more rain forecast in the early hours of Tuesday morning, my money is on it being soft for Day 1.
One trainer who’ll be happy with the wet weather is Eddie Cawley. Petit King represents him here and with Philip Byrnes’ 3lbs claim, he is effectively racing off the same mark as when beat just 0.5L here by Morricane back in February.
We backed him at Fairyhouse last month and he ran a lovely race off 113 to finish third behind Implicit. His Punchestown form figures read 413 and given the size of this pot, I’d imagine Cawley has had this race on his radar for some time. Philip Byrnes is 2/10 for Cawley with another third placed finish and with his claim, Petit King is a pound lower than he was at Fairyhouse. At odds of 25/1, a small e/w interest is advised.
2024 Punchestown Festival Tuesday Tip: Petit King e/w @ 25/1 (6 places)
3.40 – Champion Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)
The recent rain will delight the connections of Slade Steel. He won the Supreme on rain sodden ground at Cheltenham and he wouldn’t mind if it turned heavy tomorrow. He’ll be renewing rivalries with a few from the Supreme, including the runner up Mystical Power, and I think he’ll uphold the form.
Tullyhill was sent off the fav for the Supreme but he wasn’t up to the task. The return to this track is a plus but it’s hard to fancy him after that Cheltenham effort.
The 8/1 about Firefox looks a big price. He’s beaten Ballyburn, he was 0.5L behind Mystical Power last time out at Aintree and he ran a blinder in the Supreme (3rd). Interestingly, Gordon Elliott’s son of Walk In The Park has form figures of 421432 going left handed. Going right handed, his form figures read 111.
Outsider
The worry for Mystical Power and Firefox backers is that they ran at both Cheltenham and Aintree. Three G1s in 6/7 weeks is a big ask and in the hope that at least one of those two horses are over the top, I’ll take a chance on Asian Master at a working man’s price.
Thomas Costello rides this horse and he ran a cracker in the Supreme to finish fourth. The bottomless ground that day wouldn’t have suited this horse too well and while it will be soft here, it won’t be as taxing as it was at Cheltenham.
Asian Master won his maiden at Thurles but the form of his penultimate run at Navan is stronger. He beat Better Days Ahead by 10L and that horse went on to win the Martin Pipe off 140. He really doesn’t need to improve a whole lot on the figures to be competitive, he’s already beaten Tullyhill and he has 0.25L to find with Firefox on their Supreme form. At odds of 18/1, Asian Master is the e/w selection.
2024 Punchestown Festival Tuesday Tip: Asian Master e/w @ 18/1 NB
4.15 – Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle (Listed)
A cracking race. Twenty five runners representing a diverse range of trainers from both sides of the Irish Sea. An easy race to find the winner of? Probably not, but hopefully we can find one that gives us a good run for our e/w money at a price.
We backed Kings Hill for the Supreme at Cheltenham and while he only finished ninth, he showed me enough to warrant backing him again today. He finished 15L behind the winner Slade Steel but he was only 3L behind Tullyhill and only 6L behind Favour and Fortune, who subsequently won the Scottish Champion Hurdle off 138.
4lb Hike
Kings Hill has since gone agonisingly close in a Ballinrobe handicap off 130 (17f sft). He should really have won that race in my opinion and the handicapper must have agreed with that view because he hiked him up 4lbs to 134.
With his jockey’s claim he is effectively racing off 127 here and I think he’s at least a stone better than that rating. Now, he does lack experience in big field handicaps so that does temper my enthusiasm slightly but going right handed seems to suit him, the ground should be fine for him and his odds of 25/1 are big enough to warrant a small e/w bet.
2024 Punchestown Festival Tuesday Tip: Kings Hill e/w @ 25/1 (6 places)
5.25 – William Hill Champion Chase (Grade 1)
I put Maskada up ante-post for the Champion Chase at Cheltenham but Henry De Bromhead won it with Captain Guinness instead. She ended up going for a repeat bid in the Grand Annual but she ran no sort of race, beat 25L into seventh.
On that run, she has zero chance here. However, she gave Dinoblue 2lbs and a 6.5l spanking at Cheltenham in 2023 and if she could rediscover that spark, she could surprise a few with a big run here.
This year, her best run came at Cork in the G2 Hilly Way. She finished third, 8L behind the winner El Fabiolo, but she had the likes of Jungle Boogie, Vanillier and Rebel Gold well behind and they are all fairly useful horses.
I heard during the week that Maskada is in foal to Order Of St George and that can often transform a mare. The fact a tongue tie is added suggests that she might have suffered with wind issues the last day too so there are a couple of reasons to believe she might improve a lot on that effort.
Clearly, Captain Guinness looks the main hope for Henry De Bromhead here but surely they’d love to nick some G1 black type for Maskada on her last run before retiring her as it would add plenty of value to her stock as a broodmare. She isn’t one for max stakes but if she can get back to the form of her Grand Annual win in 2023, Maskada can hopefully sneak into the first three today at odds of 50/1.
2024 Punchestown Festival Tuesday Tip: Maskada e/w @ 50/1
6.00 – Champion Novice Chase (Grade 1)
I am very keen on Sandor Clegane for this Grade 1 Novice Chase. Trained by Paul Nolan, this son of Fame And Glory has yet to hit top form this season. He ran just ok at Cheltenham behind Fact Or File and he was beaten 10L by Embassy Gardens on his last outing at Naas.
His last win came exactly a year ago at the Punchestown Festival. He beat Della Casa Lungo by 1.75L having previously finished a close third in the G1 Albert Bartlett. He is 2/3 over jumps at Punchestown and all three of his career wins under rules have come at the track.
If this 7yo is going to win a Grade 1 it will surely most likely be at Punchestown and this doesn’t look an overly strong contest. He has 10L to find with Embassy Gardens on their meeting at Naas in January but I’m hoping he can turn that form around at his favourite course. At odds of 12/1, Sandor Clegane is the e/w selection.
