There is some excellent racing from Ireland for us to get our teeth into that will have a bearing on the rest of the season and as usual some great betting opportunities. Not only is there money to be made but you need to have your notebook out and even at this time of year there are important Cheltenham hints.
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12:40 Punchestown Total Event Rental Handicap Hurdle 2m
Morga’s recent second at Galway was a good return to the obstacles and whilst she may need to come on again for that run she looks a very capable recruit with the slower surface being to her advantage. Get out of Jail looks to have the conditions to suit but we wouldn’t be so confident about the ability for this one. Aspen Colorado will be well supported for Joseph O’Brien but needs to put a poor run at Naas behind him. It might just have been too far and this drop back in trip could help. If it does then he will feature. Desmond McDonogh’s mare is the one we like the most given that she has less questions to answer.
2 units e/w Morga
1:10 Punchestown Ryans Cleaning Craddockstown Novice Chase (Grade 2) 2m
There may only be 5 runners but each is of interest in some way. Identity Thief did the job well enough on debut over the bigger obstacles but didn’t have to be great to win and its perfectly logical that there is plenty more in the tank. He is indeed an exciting recruit. Henry De Bromhead has entered 2 more against his stable star and whilst Ordinary World beat Attribution last time out, you would imagine that placings could be reversed with them. The trainer has a way with these 2 mile chasers. Ball D’Arc has been a decent horse and Gordon Elliot has his string in fine fettle but despite the fact that he too won on chase debut he shouldn’t be good enough. Theory says that if Identity Thief jumps around clear he wins but theory doesn’t always get weighed in at the windows. Its might be the first step to Arkle Glory for one of them and that’s why it’s so interesting.
3 units win Identity Thief
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1:45 Punchestown Florida Pearl Novice Chase (Grade 2) 2m6f110y
Six horses turn out for this renewal and five of them won last time out with all of them being race fit. It’s a tight contest and one which needs looking at closely. Gordon Elliot has 3 entered and it’s hard to know which will react best to this new trip. A Toi Phil looks the best of his runners given that he had the strongest hurdles form and his win at Downpatrick last time out was probably the best form of the three runners but Space Cadet did well to win over a shorter than ideal trip last time and this longer journey will play to his strengths. Of the remainder, Noel Meade’s Disko looked good when winning here last time out and Nambour for Mouse Morris may not quite be good enough but does jump well. Its between the Meade runner and Elliot’s more fancied horse with the latter taking our preference.
2 units win A Toi Phil
2:20 Punchestown Morgiana Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m
It seems odd not having Hurricane Fly in this race. He won it three times and was just brilliant. Jer’s Girl who despite winning a Grade 1 very well at the back end of last year, on what we have seen, shouldn’t be good enough and Simenon looks to need further than this. So, on that basis it is a three horse race. Ivanovich Gorbatov who was brilliant at Cheltenham when beating Apples Jade but then was trounced by the same horse and has been tried over further this year, getting well beaten again. He is definitely better than those last two runs but this is a bit of a recovery mission. He may have needed that run this year so let’s not write him off yet. Surely this isn’t his ground though? Sempre Medici is good but maybe not quite good enough and then finally that takes us to Nichols Canyon who is the chosen mount of Ruby Walsh and he doesn’t often get it wrong. Last years winner beat none other than Faugheen first time out in this race and he must be looking the part at home for Ruby to take the ride. It would be wrong for us to ignore this.
2 units win Nichols Canyon
