Punchestown Tips: Thursday Racing Tips from Architect

The opening race that kick starts the third day of the Punchestown Festival is a typically wide-open renewal of the Specialist Group Handicap Hurdle and with most firms are paying five places, I am going to nominate two strong each-way bets, who make plenty of each-way appeal at their respective odds.

GARRYBELLO (best price 25/1) could be the fly in the ointment, who had won two of his three starts when trained in France and most likely would have won the other time had he not unseated his rider when going well in front. It was around this time last year that he made his stable debut for Thomas Cooper, in which he was highly-tried in the Grade 2 Donohue Marquees Juvenile Hurdle.

He ultimately found the race itself too hot to handle when eventually pulled up but he did shape well for a long way and even though he failed to beat a rival home at Galway next time, he has shaped well in a pair of handicaps this year. He has left the firm impression he has more to give, as he has kept on well in each of those to be nearest the finish.

There is no disguising he was probably punching above his weight in that latest race at Cork given the race was littered with 130+rated horses but he didn’t look out of place, beaten only three lengths, and with the drop in trip recognised as a positive, he is fancied to run very well from the exact same mark as last time.

IFIWEREARICHMAN (best price 15/2) represents the Paul Nolan team, who predominantly like to target these sort of handicaps with well-treated individuals and he makes his handicap debut with the potential to better than this mark judged on the evidence of his form to date.

He belied market expectations an SP of 100/1 to run a huge race on his hurdles debut at Clonmel to finish third, where he was only three lengths behind odds-on favourite Senior Chief, who has won twice since and the fifth Green Glory was last seen running well to finish fourth in the Lanzarote Hurdle at Kempton.

Clearly, the form has a lot of substance, and Paul Nolan’s charge then bolted up at Down Royal by nine lengths before he chased home the 135+ rated Path D’Oroux, which reads well from a handicapping perspective.

He was required to tackle a Grade 3 last-time-out at Thurles and looked the most likeliest winner until making a serious mistake at the second last hurdle when going strongly at the time.

It appeared to knock the stuffing out of him at first glance when that mistake occurred but he kept on well again afterwards and this large-field should suit his strong-travelling style of racing, plus his rider takes off a handy seven pounds.

He makes more appeal than most and could be a handicap blot if able to continue his progression through the ranks. This race might have more runners than last time but it is an ease in grade for the five-year-old, who should be seen to best effect under these conditions.

Another high-quality handicap is the Pigsback.com Handicap Chase and CALL ME LYREEN (best price 16/1) could go one better than he did at this meeting than two years ago from a mark that is within range with Jordan Gainford booked to ride.

If we rewind to the Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle here two years ago, you would notice how unlucky this seven-year-old was, who was denied a clear passage at the most crucial part of the race but once he finally saw daylight, he picked up strongly to only be beaten a short-head.

In another stride, victory was his, but he did win a competitive Grade B Handicap at Leopardstown off a mark of 138 last February and has two chase wins to his name plus a second in a Grade 3 when only three-parts-of-a-length behind 149-rated Visionarian.

He couldn’t go the pace of the Grand Annual at Cheltenham last time but did all of his best work in the closing stages, where he stayed on to be seventh of 19 and the Irish handicapper has reacted kindly by reducing his mark five pounds ahead of this easier race back on home soil.

There is a lot to like about his chances at a price, who’s form is tied in closely with Grade 1 horses and he went close at this meeting two years ago, plus he is sitting on a dangerous mark, so he must have a great chance of outrunning his double-figure odds. 

Gordon Elliott’s HOLLOW GAMES (best price 10/1) was never at the races when running poorly in the Arkle at Cheltenham but likewise to the former, this is a significant ease in grade and this seven-year-old would only need to rediscover his best form to give himself a huge chance of succeeding on his handicap debut over fences.

A winner of his first four starts under rules, he placed twice in Grade 1 company as a novice over hurdles last year and matched that form with an excellent third in the Martin Pipe at Cheltenham, where he might have won without being hampered but kept on well to take third behind subsequent Grade 1 winner, Banbridge.

He then finished a distant fifth to The Nice Guy in the Grade 1 Irish Mirror Novice Hurdle before making a successful chase debut and then contested two Grade 1 events over fences since, so he will undoubtedly find this easier and he is a course-and-distance winner, who is a pound lower than his last handicap start, which was at last year’s Cheltenham Festival.

If he does benefit from the ease in grade, with conditions to his liking and the form in the book to play a leading role, he is surely a great each-way bet at the odds with most firms paying four places. A conditional is also booked for the job, who takes off a further seven pounds, so the reality is, there will be no excuses.

This isn’t the strongest of renewals of the La Touche Cup Cross Country Chase and the most interesting runner is CLONGUILE WAY (best price 12/1), who has stamina in abundance and shouldn’t be taken lightly back over this longer trip. He would have hit the frame at the very least in this last year before taking a late tumble.

The ten-year-old appeared to be inconvenienced by an inadequate distance at Kelso last time but he ran well to finish second in the Scottish Borders National over four-miles, where he was doing his best work at the finish and has a chance granted a clear round.

He was making relentless progress from off the pace in this last year before he took a crashing fall at the second last (just moved into fourth at the time) and he has evidently been targeted at this race again. He generally jumps well, stays well and must enter calculations.

MORTAL (best price 5/1) ran a stinker in the Ulster National last time but Gordon Elliott’s charge is the class act in the field, who is the highest rated at 120 and has to be of interest based on his three good performances in defeat in Cross Country races at Cheltenham.

The 11-year-old has jumped with pinpoint accuracy over the banks at Cheltenham and while he couldn’t get to grips with Delta Work and Galvin at the Festival, he ran a tidy race to finish fifth and he was only a few lengths behind the former in January at Cheltenham.

His stamina has to be taken on trust but he is the best horse in the race with the best form over these obstacles this season as well. Jody McGarvey knows him well and, if he can reproduce his Cheltenham form at this course, there is no reason why he won’t go close to gaining a first success in well over three years for connections.

The feature race is the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle and Willie Mullins has a strong team to go to war with, including Klassical Dream, who has won this for the last two years.

The nine-year-old should make a bold bid to defend his title but he was disappointing in the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham for the second years in succession and this is a much tougher renewal and instead, I am going to side with ASTERION FORLONGE (best price 8/1), the mount of Patrick Mullins.

I know Monkfish ran a great race when he pushed him to within half-a-length in the Grade 2 Rathbarry & Glenview Studs Hurdle over two-and-a-half miles but I thought he won a shade comfortably and his reappearance run behind Summerville Boy after a year on the sidelines was encouraging given the winner had the advantage of fitness.

With a record of 1F1U, he clearly runs this course well when he puts it all together and since returning to hurdles this season, he has been accurate in every aspect of his two performances. He has only run five times over hurdles, winning three of them, including a Grade 1 and even beat Conflated on his chase debut at this course.

He would have won a high-class renewal of the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase here in December without unseating his rider at the third last fence. The nine-year-old looked better than ever last time and whilst Paul Townend has passed him over in favour of last year’s winner, his deflection doesn’t diminish my interest for Asterion Forlonge, who could still figure prominently here.

An extremely competitive race but REBEL IVY (best price 33/1) has surprisingly been overlooked in the betting, who certainly has the ingredients to outrun her odds with the return to three-miles sure to bring about further improvement.

She is a very consistent mare, who was very unlucky on her only previous run over this trip, which came in the Grade 2 Surehaul Mercedes-Benz Novice Hurdle last February. She was travelling smoothly and just about to make her challenge before being badly hampered at the second last which ended her chance.

Just on that form, she looks well-treated here and her easy 10-length success in a Listed event in October reads seriously strong form, as she thumped Heaven Help Us and Queens Brook, who are rated 135+ and 145+. Unfortunately she fell in a Grade 3 two starts back when going well again but shaped well last time back in a handicap when sixth and Sean Flanagan, who rode her that day, has kept the ride.

That should have put her spot on for this test and whilst she can lose her concentration, hence why she has fallen twice in her career, she is a decent mare and the form she has displayed in Listed/Grade events suggests she is more than capable of causing some damage from this sort of mark. If she gets a smooth passage, I can envisage her being thereabouts with six places generally available.

Later on, in the Close Brothers Irish EBF Mares Handicap Chase, I quite like the chances of OPTIONAL MIX (best price 20/1), who had a preparatory run over hurdles when last sighted and has the capabilities to give her supporters a good run for their money under the assistance of Jordan Gainford, who knows her well.

She didn’t really cut much bread in her two previous starts here (sixth in a bumper and a hurdle race) but she has improved leaps and bounds since, especially over fences, where her form reads 37122123. She was beaten a long way into third on her last start over fences but better ground will suit despite having a good record on heavy going and she should go well with four places widely available.

I also like the claims of BROOMFIELD HALL (best price 10/1) who is familiar with this fixture having landed a valuable Handicap Hurdle event at this meeting last year when beating subsequent Greatwood Hurdle second Gin Coco.

After that success, she won her first two starts over fences and has been highly tried in Grade 2 and Listed events since. She couldn’t land a blow in a hot Listed event last time but didn’t disgrace herself in fourth and this race is undeniably easier.

She switches to handicaps off a fair mark of 130 and that’s without her jockey’s seven-pounds claim, so she is technically well-in at the weights but is in fact the highest rated runner in the field. This appears to have been a long-term project, so she must hold solid each-way credentials at least with lots in her favour. Four places available with various bookmakers.