Punchestown Festival (Day Two Preview & Odds)
Day Two of the Punchestown Festival will feature yet more top-class horse racing with three Grade 1 races scheduled across the eight-race card
Day Two of the Punchestown Festival will feature yet more top-class horse racing with three Grade 1 races scheduled across the eight-race card. As we look ahead at all three Grade 1s, here at betting.bet we’ll offer the latest race odds courtesy of our betting partners at NAGS Bet.
Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle
The first Grade 1 of the day is the 3m Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle scheduled to get underway at 4:15. Half of the field for his year’s renewal are trained by Willie Mullins with four out of eight entries. His best chance of success comes via Sefton Novices’ Hurdle winner, Dancing City. The seven-year-old was second to Ballyburn in a 2m flat race at last year’s Punchestown Festival and this year he has proved an excellent hurdler. Prior to landing the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle he had already enjoyed Grade 1 success when landing a novice hurdle at Leopardstown in February. Definitely the one to beat on Wednesday.
Stellar Story was fourth behind Dancing City at Leopardstown but was a shock 33/1 winner of the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham last month. On his Cheltenham Festival form, it would not be a surprise to see him reverse the Leopardstown form over this longer trip but he has 11 lengths to make up.
Better Days Ahead also heads to Punchestown on the back of Cheltenham Festival success. Winner of the Martin Pipe for trainer, Gordon Elliott but that was over 2m4f and this will require more. High Class Hero pulled up when well-beaten in the Albert Bartlett but you shouldn’t be too hasty in writing him off on Wednesday. Looks good when winning five straight races following a switch to Willie Mullins. If he puts his Cheltenham run behind him he could prove overpriced on Wednesday.
Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle Odds
Horse | Form | Trainer | Jockey | Odds |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dancing City | 2-51131 | W P Mullins | P Townend | 9/4 |
Better Days Ahead | 0-F1421 | G Elliott | D J Gilligan | 3/1 |
Stellar Story | 1-13241 | G Elliott | J W Kennedy | 7/2 |
Lecky Watson | 45-1235 | W P Mullins | D E Mullins | 13/2 |
High Class Hero | 11111P | W P Mullins | S F O'Keeffe | 15/2 |
Backmersackme | 4-11 | E Mullins | D Meyler | 12/1 |
An Tobar | 1/1350 | H de Bromhead | Rachael Blackmore | 22/1 |
Cuta Des As | 1/133-1P | W P Mullins | B Hayes | 50/1 |
Race & Stay At Punchestown Champion I.N.H. Flat Race
Jasmin De Vaux finished ahead of Romeo Coolio in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham and both horses are in contention for this Grade 1 Race & Stay At Punchestown Champion I.N.H. Flat Race on Wednesday. Jasmin De Vaux is undoubtedly the one to beat but Romeo Coolio may run him closer under better conditions. William Munny looks a real danger having skipped Cheltenham for this whilst Redemption Day looked capable of going one better than last year’s second place finish when he won a 2m flat race at Fairyhouse in early April.
Race & Stay At Punchestown Champion I.N.H. Flat Race Odds
Horse | Form | Trainer | Jockey | Odds |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jasmin De Vaux | 1-11 | W P Mullins | Mr P W Mullins | 13/8 |
William Munny | 11 | B Connell | Mr F Maguire | 4/1 |
Romeo Coolio | 1-12 | G Elliott | Mr H C Swan | 9/2 |
Redemption Day | 102/231 | W P Mullins | Miss J Townend | 17/2 |
Shuttle Diplomacy | 11 | T Cooper | Mr J L Gleeson | 10/1 |
Harbour Highway | 11 | E Mullins | Mr D O'Connor | 10/1 |
The Yellow Clay | 11-46 | G Elliott | Mr B O'Neill | 18/1 |
Sounds Victorius | 214 | W P Mullins | Mr C Mullins | 20/1 |
You Oughta Know | 1120 | W P Mullins | Mr T Costello | 33/1 |
Switch From Diesel | 22132 | S Fahey | Mr T Hamilton | 50/1 |
Argento Boy | 10 | W P Mullins | Mr Pat Taaffe | 66/1 |
My Great Mate | 3119 | W P Mullins | Mr E Ohgren | 66/1 |
Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup
There’s one major absence from Wednesday’s Punchestown Gold Cup field as this is tragically where Shishkin was set to run before his shock death on Sunday evening. Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Galopin Des Champs returns to Punchestown as the odds-on favourite as he aims to right the wrongs of 12 months ago. Despite setting off as 4/11 favourite, Galopin Des Champs was no match for last year’s Punchestown Gold Cup winner, Fastorslow. Galopin Des Champs heads to Punchestown on the back of three straight Grade 1 wins with his Cheltenham Gold Cup success preceded by wins in the Savills Chase and Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown. Despite finishing second in this last year, he is a worthy market leader.
Proving his Punchestown Gold Cup win was no fluke, Fastorslow once again got the better of Galopin Des Champs in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase in November; albeit over a much shorter distance. He still looked in contention when unseating in the Cheltenham Gold Cup But given that he went off at 8/1 when failing to get around at Prestbury Park, he’s perhaps a little short at 11/4 for this.
Corach Rambler impressed when finishing third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and after falling at the first fence in the Grand National at Aintree, the Lucinda Russell-trained ten-year-old heads to Punchestown with a point to prove. Stays all day and is an intriguing prospect on his first run in Ireland. At 12/1, Corach Rambler has to be on the Gold Cup shortlist.
Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup Odds
Horse | Form | Trainer | Jockey | Odds |
---|---|---|---|---|
Galopin Des Champs | 12-3111 | W P Mullins | P Townend | 8/11 |
Fastorslow | 521-12U | M Brassil | J J Slevin | 11/4 |
Corach Rambler | 11-533U | Miss Lucinda V Russell | D R Fox | 12/1 |
Hewick | F1-4016 | J J Hanlon | J C Gainford | 14/1 |
Conflated | 53UU32 | G Elliott | J W Kennedy | 16/1 |
Journey With Me | 121F-31 | H de Bromhead | D J O'Keeffe | 22/1 |
Capodanno | P-63140 | W P Mullins | M P Walsh | 33/1 |
Gentlemansgame | 3/1-21P5 | M F Morris | Rachael Blackmore | 50/1 |
Appreciate It | 32-2532 | W P Mullins | Mr P W Mullins | 50/1 |