SHAMROCK CHASING SECOND FESTIVAL NAP: After a nap and double up on the opening day at the Punchestown Festival, the meeting lost its chases yesterday and today, and Shamrock’s nap was a non-runner. Now he tries to follow up on the depleted third-day card.
4.50 Punchestown (originally 3.40): Willie Mullins grabbed four of the five races which survived the rain yesterday and Turban has his preferred surface today, if surface you can call it: they’ll be hock deep. But will Turban get the trip; his best efforts have been over 2m.
The same worry applies to Nelson’s Bridge in reverse: he’s got the 2m 4f, or nearly so, at Taunton but his wins have been on good-to-soft.
Tofino Bay and The Tracey Shuffle fit the bill on both counts, with Tofino Bay the one to have run in higher-grade races, as revealed by the ratings: 144 Tofino Bay, 137 Turban, 135 The Tracey Shuffle.
5.30 Punchestown La Touche (originally 4.50): As ever in a banks race, all eyes are on Enda Bolger but he is noticeably out of form right now, on the cold list with 23 runners and no wins in 139 days, according to the Racing Post.
Bolger has won this La Touche eight times in the last decade, with such great favourites as Spot Thedifference and Garde Champetre but, as well as his own lack of current form, his pair today, Arabella Boy and Doctor Pat, do not convince with their recent efforts.
However if, as we assume, he has been trained at home for cross country, then Arabella Boy’s splitting of Paddy Pub and Rare Bob at Naas last month might be good enough form. He is third in, officially: 134 to Uncle Junior’s 139 and Shakervilz 137, but Uncle Junior is a stone higher and doesn’t like the ground.
Double Dizzy ran well in the Cheltenham Festival cross-country on ground that didn’t suit but he, too, has to give weight away here and the fifth that day, Tally Em Up, who gets the mares’ allowance, has twice run well at Punchestown on the heavy: an excellent 11.5 on BETDAQ
6.05 Punchestown World Hurdle (originally 5.30): Voler La Vedette is overdue a big prize, and the ground may turn around the form, with the cream of Quevega’s great sequence earned on good going, or good to soft at worst.
For a moment at Cheltenham, Big Buck’s fans were gasping as Voler La Vedette stealthily crept closer to that great horse. In finishing second then, and earlier at Fairyhouse and Leopardstown, he is this season equal or better than Quevega on a line through Mourad.
SHAMROCK’S BETS
NAP: Tofino Bay (4.50 Punchestown)
NEXT BEST: Voler La Vedette (6.05 Punchestown)
WIN AND PLACE: Tally Em Up (5.30 Punchestown)
DAQ TRIO: Tofino Bay (4.50 Punchestown), Tally Em Up (5.30 Punchestown) and Voler La Vedette (6.05 Punchestown)
Did you know that as well as checking the realtime prices on BETDAQ below – you can also log into your account and place your bets directly into BETDAQ from BETDAQ TIPS.
