Punchestown selections Saturday 30th April
The final day of five at Punchestown and the action certainly looks ultra competitive today with three big field handicaps plus two Grade 1 hurdles. I have selections from a mix of those contests. We had a cracking day on Thursday with Lilith a 17/2 (advised) winner, Blue Lord also scoring (SP 2/1) whilst headline selection Sil Ver Klass was placed for the each-way bet (SP 11/1).
Punchestown 3.10: Peaches and Cream
There looks to be a fair bit of deadwood near the top of the weights here with horses rated beyond their current level of ability, out of form or simply racing on ground quicker than ideal. However the lowly weighted PEACHES AND CREAM remains unexposed at this trip, will act on the ground and has a nice racing weight of 10-8.
He performed with great credit on his first start beyond 3m in the Ulster National last month to place third, especially considering he had almost been brought down at the first. He kept on well enough up the hill to suggest an extra 3f here, albeit on a flatter track, could be within his scope.
He had already run well to be fourth in the Troytown at Navan in the autumn on similar ground and he won a competitive handicap at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting a couple of seasons ago, so he can certainly handle a big field.
Punchestown 3.50: Stormy Ireland
Whilst there is no doubt that the Mares Hurdle has a much stronger look to it than when STORMY IRELAND ran away with the race twelve months ago, there are good reasons to think last year’s winner can go well again.
Formerly extremely headstrong, she is still best when allowed to dominate from the front and she never looked like being headed when beating Minella Melody 7l last year. She settles well in front now, allowing here to see out every yard of the 2m4f and indeed she saw out the trip well when landing the Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham this winter.
She was a fair fourth in the Mares Hurdle back at Cheltenham last month, but this flatter track plays far more to her strengths, especially on drying ground like today. If Epatante repeats her performance at Aintree she will be hard to beat, but having run at both Cheltenham and Aintree she is not guaranteed to be at the top of her game. Jockey Danny Mullins has a brilliant record on this mare, winning five times on her from seven attempts, perhaps not surprising given how good a jockey from the front he is. I expect him to set the right fractions again today, making it as hard as possible for her talented rivals to get by.
Punchestown 4.25: Popong
This handicap looks wide open, but POPONG looks to have been primed for this race having finished a close third in it last year.
That run was her first at 3m, but she saw out the trip strongly, arguably being set with too much to do given her stamina was unproven at the time. Now we and jockey Rachel Blackmore knows she stays 3m on this ground and I expect her to be ridden more handily, a tactic that usually plays out well around Punchestown.
Since that effort she was second in the Galway Blazers and after a winter break, returned to the track three weeks ago with a respectable second to Fighter Allen at Tramore. She does seem to be comfortable with good ground like she will encounter today and there are plenty of prominent racers taking part which could set things up nicely for a stalker like Popong.
Recommended bets:
1pt each-way – Peaches and Cream – 3.10 Punchestown – 8/1 Bet365 (1/5 odds 1st 4)
1pt each-way – Stormy Ireland – 3.50 Punchestown – 12/1 general
1pt each-way – Popong – 4.25 Punchestown – 7/1 Bet365 (1/5 odds 1st 4)
