Facile Vega

The Champion Bumper winner from Cheltenham, Facile Vega, is the most backed horse for Day 2 of the Punchestown Festival through oddschecker since final declarations for the day’s racing were made on Monday, and forms the first part of our 13/1 treble the bookies don’t want to come in.

The Willie Mullins trained five-year-old (best price 8/15 today) was too strong at Cheltenham for a field which included American Mike (3 ¾ lengths behind in second), who looks likely to be his nearest challenger once again here (10/3). 

At the time of writing, he has taken 13.89% of the bets across all races at the festival on Wednesday and a huge 77.09% of the bets on the Punchestown Champion I.N.H. Flat Race.

Allaho

Allaho made it back-to-back Ryanair Chase victories at Cheltenham last month but steps back up to three miles for Wednesday’s Punchestown Gold Cup where Janidil – 14 lengths behind him in second place at Cheltenham – rates as one of the outsiders in a field of nine runners.

This time, he is more likely to be challenged by last year’s victor Clan Des Obeaux, Minella Indo - who got the better of him in the 2020 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase - and Galvin, tipped by Stu Williams to pick up the pieces if Allaho’s stamina gives out in the closing stages.

Allaho has featured in 10.97% of all betslips for Wednesday’s races at Punchestown through oddschecker and has 46.53% backing for the Gold Cup (Galvin second most with 17.08%).

The Nice Guy

Third by some distance on today’s most backed list is Novice Hurdle favourite The Nice Guy (9/4) for Willie Mullins, who secured a Grade 1 double yesterday through Energumene and Capodanno but still trails his big rival Gordon Elliott by four wins to three after the first day of action in Ireland. 

There will be a change of jockey for The Nice Guy since his five length Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle win, with Paul Townend switching over from Minella Cocooner – joint second favourite for the race at 9/2. Ironically, the similarly named Minella Crooner (trained by Elliott) shares the same price.

A longer price for The Nice Guy against the likes of Facile Vega and Allaho probably owes to the return of Minella Crooner, who held ante-post favouritism for the Albert Bartlett last month before pulling out late due to a muscle injury described by Elliott as “nothing serious”.

The Nice Guy has been backed in 31.11% of the betslips for the race through oddschecker, with Minella Crooner taking the next most with 23.20%.