4.15pm - Listed Frontline Security Handicap Chase
A bit like Daddy Long Legs on Tuesday, we could be looking at this and thinking Blood Destiny was a real certainty to be a little better than the 150 mark suggests, but there isn't much room for manoeuvre in that mark, and although he looks to be a nice young chaser in the making, I just feel there might be one or two a little more well in here who could make that count and land the 30,000 prize on offer.
One thing I like to look out for in these types of races is jockey bookings, and Jack Kennedy booked up on Mighty Tom very much takes the eye for me. Cian Collins's horse was a Listed Hurdle winner and was rated 139 over the smaller obstacles, and looked to have really taken a step forward for a fence when coming second behind Letsbeclearaboutit in a Grade 3 contest on his chase debut.
However, he has not franked that promise since, coming third in the Grade 2 Arkle Trial at Cheltenham before coming fourth in a beginners’ chase, which was a slightly disappointing effort in the end. Given the fact he was a Listed Hurdle winner, and pretty much rated 140 over the smaller obstacles, I think the opening Irish mark of 137 could be a little lenient for this horse, who showed a fair bit on chase debut a few months back.
He goes well fresh, and will come into this race off the back of a 79-day break, and with Jack Kennedy booked to ride him, I think that is a shrewd booking from connections. The yard form holds no issues for me, and I think he has been lined up nicely for this contest on Thursday.
- Selection - Mighty Tom (9/1)
5.25pm - Grade 1 Barberstown Castle Novice Chase
This race appears to be fairly cut and dried on paper, and the ratings very much suggest that with Gaelic Warrior being in the high 160's, whereas his main market rival only being rated 160, with the rest being even lower than that.
Obviously, we saw on his penultimate run that Gaelic Warrior is not invincible, but I think it would be a huge disappointment were he not to win this contest and land back-to-back Grade 1's at a big Festival.
This is the sort of contest in which I might usually look for a bit of value, but with just the 4 runners heading to post on Thursday, that makes it very hard to do so. With that in mind, Gaelic Warrior just wins this and wins it well I feel, and although Il Etait Temps was a very good winner of the Grade 1 Manifesto Novices Chase at Aintree last time, Gaelic Warrior arrives into this off the back of an 8 and a half length romp in the Arkle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
I was against him that day, as I felt the race before might have taken too much out of him, plus he can put in the odd mistake, but he just travelled with so much zest and jumped very well in the end, winning in very impressive fashion, absolutely bursting up the Hill in the end.
That was one of the more impressive novice wins at the Cheltenham Festival this season, and probably the best 2-mile novice performance of the season. I would love to see a cracking battle between the two market principals, however I just feel Gaelic Warrior will win this as he likes.
- Selection - Gaelic Warrior (3/10)
6.00pm - Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle
It may seem a little boring to side with another market leader, but I am a huge fan of Teahupoo, who was an impressive winner of the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, where he was quite a few people's banker of the whole Festival.
It is a shame we don't get to see him out all that often as this will be just his third run of the season, but it is a formula that is working with Gordon Elliott's star stayer. I say it is a shame we don't see him that often only because I feel the staying division needs a star, and he certainly could be the one.
He was unlucky not to land the Stayers’ Hurdle and Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree last season, but did run placed efforts in those races. He kickstarted this season with a win in the Grade 1 Hatton's Grace at Fairyhouse, getting the better of Impaire Et Passe, who has since won at Grade 1 and Grade 2 level, so the form of that race is rock solid.
Teahupoo was then put away for a few months, arriving at the Stayers’ Hurdle race with freshness very much on his side, and that clearly counted for something as he won the race very well indeed, beating Flooring Porter by an easy 3 and three quarter lengths in the end.
He is clearly the new staying star on the scene, and the fact he is just a 7yo, he could land these sorts of contests for the next few years to come, all being well of course. I think he will win this (as he beat most of these in the Stayers Hurdle) and even though he has been lightly raced this season, 3 wins from three Grade 1 outings, that is some season and great campaigning from his trainer Gordon Elliott. I think he probably deserves to be shorter in the market, as he is the one they all have to beat come Thursday.
- Selection - Teahupoo (5/6)
6.35pm - Listed Conway Piling Handicap Hurdle
This is a really tricky contest, but I feel Coming Up Easy for Henry De Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore could very much be well in here off the mark of 123. Now his form behind that maiden win last time is very patchy to say the least, but when you see the contests he has run in previously, you can see why he might have struggled at times in those runs early on in his career.
Last March at Navan he was 6th in a bumper behind Farrens Glory, who has since come out and won the Grade 1 Royal Bond Novices’ Hurdle, and then went on to come 7th in his first run over hurdles, which was a contest won by Stellar Story, who has since gone on to win the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival.
Then on his penultimate run he fell late on in the contest when running quite well, and that was a race won by Ballyburn, who has since gone on to become a dual Grade 1 winner and could land another one later in the week. He was then put into slightly calmer waters next time out in a pretty modest maiden hurdle in heavy going, on which he jumped very well throughout and ended up forging clear in the closing stages to win going away by a cool 20 lengths.
I think he is ultimately still learning on the job, and given the novice/maiden contests he was pitched into so early on in his career, I think the mark of 123 could be very lenient indeed and connections will look to exploit it here. He takes another step up in trip and class here, but the further they go, the better he will become, as shown last time in that 20-length victory.
The fact he is lightly raced might obviously not play to his strengths come Thursday, but I firmly feel the mark of 123 is very low, and that could be proven on Thursday. The more rain the better for him, so let's hope a few are doing the rain dance at Punchestown this week!.
- Selection - Coming Up Easy (17/2)
7.05pm - Listed Close Brothers Mares Novice Hurdle
Another very competitive contest, and this is another on which Willie Mullins seems to have a stranglehold with Spindleberry, who will most likely be a short-priced favourite of this race. However, given there are 16 runners heading to post on Thursday, I will look at a few further down the market to take him on.
With that very much in mind, I think there could be plenty more to come from Got Glory, the mount of Danny Mullins, who always rides so very well on the "2nd string" horses that Willie runs in any contest over in Ireland.
She was a very nice winner on the level over in France for previous connections before getting snapped up by Mullins and new owner Mrs Audrey Turley, who has some top-class horses in her ranks, like dual Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs. Got Glory may not become a new Galopin, but connections think she might be useful as she was pitched into Grade 1 company on her hurdle and stable debut, She was ultimately pulled up and finished tailed off, but the fact she was pitched into Grade 1 company does speak for something, especially when it is a young horse of Mullins', as we all know he is not one to pitch his younger horses into the deep end on just their 2nd ever run without good reason.
She found the massive step down in class to her liking last time, when landing a maiden hurdle in fine style by a little under six lengths, when despite having hit a hurdle pretty heavily four out, she still then ran on well to land the spoils and justify her odds-on favouritism.
She takes another step up in class again here, and although she found the Grade 1 a little too hot on her first run for connections, I think now she put her head in front last time, she should be able to handle this Listed contest.
- Selection - Got Glory (11/2)
All prices are from Planet Sport Bet and are subject to change
All previews and tips provided by @ Jake Russell