Our horse racing expert, Architect Tips, previews the upcoming racing action from Punchestown.
The Punchestown Festival is fast approaching and is the last big meeting of the National Hunt season, where a host of top-quality contests will be on show for us to enjoy throughout the five-day schedule, including twelve Grade 1 events, alongside the supporting acts of the La Touche Cup, Cross Country Chase and various other graded/listed events which add further spice to what we have in store next week.
Punchestown Champion Chase
The main event on the Tuesday card is the Punchestown Champion Chase, where Cheltenham hero Energumene is rightfully at the top of the market at a best price 4/6 to follow-up here and complete a brilliant season. While his biggest rival over two miles, Shishkin, was below-par at Cheltenham pulled up, Willie Mullins’ eight-year-old took full advantage and looked impressive en route to winning by eight-and-a-half lengths, making it six-from-seven over fences too.
It’s difficult to see the likes of Envoi Allen reversing the form who was 13 lengths in arrears of Energumene at Cheltenham, while other possible participants such as Captain Guinness looks a tad exposed, Andy Dufresne would need to improve on all aspects of his form to be competitive and stablemate Allaho is more than likely to run in the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup over three miles rather than drop in trip for the William Hill Champion Chase, which would seem unnecessary.
However, Energumene’s main danger could be Willie Mullins’ other team-member and last year’s winner Chacun Pour Soi, who is pretty much unbeatable on home soil in Ireland. Yes, he has fluffed his lines in the last two Champion Chases at Cheltenham but he put matters right in this twelve months ago when beating Allaho and who’s to say he can’t do that this time round against Energumene? It is hard to predict whether or not he’d of beaten the latter at Cheltenham given how well he was travelling on the front-end until unseating Patrick Mullins mid-race but he’s a very serious weapon on his day and punters might see his current price of 13/8 as a bit of value to repeat last year’s heroics, though Paul Townend is likely to stick with the former, who provided Willie Mullins with his first maiden victory in the Champion Chase last month.
Betfred
- Huge range of regular promotions
- 24/7 live chat service
- PickYourPunt builder for custom bets
The answer we want to this race though, is whether last year’s winner of this event Chacun Pour Soi will go back-to-back and defend his title or does the current Champion Chase winner Energumene continue his rise through the ranks by dethroning him and complete the Cheltenham/Punchestown double? Or does anything else in the field emerge as a surprise package to both and cause an upset? Either way, we are in for a treat, as the two best two-mile chasers that Ireland has to offer will look horns in this titanic battle and it has the makings to be a great spectacle for televised and on-course viewers next Tuesday.
Champion Novice Hurdle
There has also been a bit of speculation about impressive Ballymore winner Sir Gerhard possibly dropping back in trip to be targeted at next season’s Champion Hurdle, where he’d be taking on Honeysuckle. While this hasn’t been fully confirmed as of yet, if that does happen, then surely Willie Mullins’ will supplement his undefeated hurdler into the The Bective Stud Champion Novice Hurdle over two-miles rather than the two-and-a-half mile event.
His performance at Cheltenham, when claiming a second festival success, can be markedly upgraded given how keenly he raced under gruesome conditions but was still able to accelerate away from his opponents and show plenty of gears to defeat subsequent Aintree Grade 1 winner Three Stripe Life for the third time in his career. Indeed, his jumping was much more fluent and I see no reason why he can’t drop back in trip as he’s a strong traveller, who has loads of pace and seems versatile regarding conditions and distance.
I think whichever event Sir Gerhard turns up in next week, he’s going to take the world of beating but my gut feeling is that he’ll be seen in the two mile-event which also looks a little bit easier on paper too.
Champion Novice Steeplechase
Elsewhere on the opening day of next week’s festival, Bob Olinger is set to try three miles for the first time at Punchestown in the The Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Steeplechase with Henry de Bromhead handing him this stiff examination to find out whether this two-time Cheltenham Festival winner is a serious Cheltenham Gold Cup contender or not next season.
A very fortunate winner of the Turners Novices' Chase when looking booked for a well-beaten second behind to the high-class Galopin Des Champs, who unluckily fell at the final fence with the race at his mercy, connections were convinced Bob Olinger wasn’t at his best that day given how legless he finished on the run-in and this should reveal more about what route he goes down next season. He picked up a slight niggle after Cheltenham but the reports are he’s in good form now, which is great news.
While the pair won’t renew rivalry in this race given the latter made amends from his Cheltenham mishap in the BoyleSports Gold Cup Novice Chase last week, scoring impressively, this looks a good opportunity for Bob Olinger to complete the double, provided he stays the distance, in which he’s best priced 6/4 to do so with Brown Advisory Novices' Chase fourth Capodanno who chased home the former over two-and-a-half miles here back in January, is second-favourite at 7/4.
The notable entry, from my point of view, is Alex Hales’ Millers Bank, who could be set to tackle three-miles for the first time. He impressed when landing his first Grade 1 at Aintree in the Manifesto Novices' Chase, quickening away from his rivals to score by ten lengths. The eight-year-old has always shaped like a stayer in my eyes and while he’s not a confirmed runner as of yet, the current 8/1 about him could be good value if he does feature in the line-up.
Punchestown Champion Hurdle
The anticipated showdown between Honeysuckle and Constitution Hill sadly won’t open next week as Nicky Henderson confirmed that his impressive Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner is heading for a well-earned rest. His deflection in the race has unsurprisingly led the unbeaten mare and two-time Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle into heavy a 1/4 favourite, who bids to complete another flawless campaign in the hands of Rachael Blackmore.
Her price has shortened a lot over the last couple of days, including on the oddschecker grid, where 88% of customers have placed bets on the Punchestown Champion Hurdle itself. It is, of course, going to take a career-best from another runner in the field to beat her next week. Perhaps Teahupoo and Adagio will lay down more of a challenge to the Queen than they did at Cheltenham or Aintree Hurdle winner Epatante will finish a lot closer barring any late errors, though many will fancy Honeysuckle to remain undefeated and her price reflects her chances.
