TRIPLE GRADE 1 WEDNESDAY: SHAMROCK looks ahead to the three Grade 1 races on Wednesday’s card at the Punchestown Festival.
Another superb day of racing in store on day two of the Punchestown Festival.
There are three Grade 1 races on the card and the ground remains good to yielding.
4:55 Irish Daily Mirror Novice Hurdle (Grade 1) (4yo+, Class 1, 3m, 8 runners)
This looks very competitive although Willie Mullins has a firm grip with half of the eight strong field as he bids to win it for a third successive year.
Ruby Walsh is onboard Penhill who has won five of his eight starts since joining Mullins from Luca Cumani.
He was a 16/1 winner of the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and seems to get better everytime he gets stepped up in trip. He shouldd again hold Monalee who was runner-up at Cheltenham.
Presenting Percy is a fellow Cheltenham winner who took the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle in good style and he has six pounds in hand on Penhill if the official ratings are to be trusted. He might just have enough in hand to deny the Mullins quartet.
5:30 Coral Punchestown Gold Cup (Grade 1) (5yo+, Class 1, 3m 120y, 6 runners)
A small, but very select field of six head to post in a race that’s capable of throwing up a shock winner:
2016 Carlingford Lough 16/1
2012 China Rock 20/1
2011 Follow The Plan 20/1
The race sees the clash of Gold Cup winners Coneygree and Sizing John taking on 2016 runner-up Djakadam.
My angle is to take on Djakadam who has just come up a little short at this highest level. He was a creditable fourth to Sizing John at Cheltenham last month but I see no reason why that form should be turned around and in this same race last year he had no answers to Carlingford Lough in the closing stages.
On the basis I expect both Sizing John and Coneygree to finish in front of him, a BETDAQ PLACE LAY is the recommendation.
6:05 Racing Post Champion I.N.H. Flat Race (Grade 1) (4-7yo, Class 1, 2m, 7 runners)
See the stars (of the future) !!! Something has to give. Six of the seven runners were winners last time out including Fayonagh who came from an impossible looking position to win the Champion Bumper going away.
Biggest danger could be her stable companion Poli Roi who looked good when winning at Navan.
SHAMROCK’S BETS:
NAP: Presenting Percy (4.55 Punchestown)
PLACE LAY: Djakadam (5.30 Punchestown)
NEXT BEST: Poli Roi (6.05 Punchestown)
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