Equinties - Punchestown

Sponsored by UK Meds.

Gm Equinauts It's PUNCHESTOWN! *crickets*.

Literally no one cares but Willie Mullins, do they?

The TOTE Fantasy features Punchestown today. Maintain an interest in all the big races without the financial commitment, set up your stable and add it to our league using code: QHZ36G. 

Now, let's dive tf in.

Headline roundup

RIP Dean Holland 

Horse racing is a tough sport and every time jockeys in any race get a leg up onto a horse, they are putting themselves at risk – that is the game and unfortunately, things can go wrong. 

In the early hours of Monday morning, Group 1-winning Australian jockey Dean Holland passed away following a fall at Donald Racecourse. 

The 34-year-old was riding HEADINGLEY in a maiden contest at the track when his mount veered dramatically to the left and crashed into the inside rail – paramedics attended him at the scene, but he was pronounced dead on course. 

The well-loved and talented rider had over 1000 winners to his name with some of his successes coming on the biggest days in Australian racing; the Australian Oaks in 2010, Adelaide Cup in 2015, and the Newmarket handicap, worth £511,299 to the winner, just last month) to name a few. 

Our thoughts are firmly with Dean's family during this incredibly sad time. 

Punchestown

Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle 

The Punchestown Festival kicks off today and day one in headlined by three Grade 1 contests, the first being the five-runner Champion Novice Hurdle won by the late MIGHTY POTTER at 20/1 last year. 

FACILE VEGA is one of three Willie Mullins runners this year and he is the 4/6 favourite following his Supreme second, a race that is working out well in the form books with the fourth and 11th having won since. 

Mullins has had to come out and defend the ability of his QUEVEGA gelding and he still believes he has plenty of speed – whether he truly saw out the Supreme last month is another question, however. 

DIVERGE was three lengths behind him lto having come from another postcode to finish strongly up the hill and he seems to have plenty of ability for NH despite being by FRANKEL. The team at Closutton think he is good, but is he good enough to dethrone their own market favourite?

IL ETAIT TEMPS has already beaten FACILE VEGA once this season at the DRF, though the race did fall apart and a few were not on their A-game. He never really got into the Supreme and finished nine lengths off the winner so he would need to bounce back in a major way to hit the frame here.

One at a massive price is NO LOOKING BACK 50/1. We tipped him as an ew play for the Festival lto but he didn't turn up and his jumping leaves a lot to be desired. His form with IRISH POINT and MARINE NATIONALE puts him bang there and his trainer, Oliver McKiernan had a 100/1 2nd in this race last year. There'll be thousands of TV's chucked through the windows of newsletter readers if this lad goes and wins today unbacked.

Grade 1 Champion Chase  

Short and sweet here but it is fairly obvious who the winner will be baring any mishaps as the two-time Cheltenham Champion Chase winner ENERGUMENE is back to try and retain his title from last year. 

The nine-year-old produced a joint-career best on RPRs lto to win at the Festival on the steel and his win last year at Punchestown to beat CHACUN POUR SOI, a horse who reappears today, was the other career-best effort – it will take a big performance to shift him today. 

Could that big performance come from his stablemate, GENTLEMAN DE MEE? He was pretty much unseen in any of his races before Christmas, however, a rejuvenation at the DRF to beat BLUE LORD sees him rock up here as the 5/1 second favourite. 

He has been relatively inconsistent this year and was beaten off a mark of 135 over hurdles two years ago at the Punchestown Festival. Worrying.

BLUE LORD is one on a redemption mission from the DRF and Cheltenham and doesn’t come into here fresh so this could be a tall order today. 

Grade 1 Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase 

This is probably the most interesting Grade 1 of the day as six good horses come to blows over three miles. 

Cheveley Park have the double-trouble of SIR GERHARD with the blue cap and CLASSIC GETAWAY with the white cap in the race, both at around 7/2. 

The former has tried 2m, 2m4f, and 3m this season having had the better runs over the shorter distances and his run lto behind FLAME BEARER was promising, however, both finishers looked laboured on the day. 

As for the latter, he hasn’t been seen since his beginners chase win over MINELLA COCOONER in November and has had his fair share of issues so far in his career, but Willie Mullins seems keen to throw him into Grade 1 company here and see how he handles the deep end.

In that beginners’ chase, he had JOURNEY WITH ME seemingly beaten at the second-last before falling and Henry de Bromhead’s charge has won twice since and finished second to IMPERVIOUS – he may still have a bit to prove at Grade 1 level though. 

Of the rest, JAMES DU BERLAIS has been crying out for a step up in trip all season, but his last three runs wouldn’t fill you with confidence so this new trip over fences has to spark 10lbs of improvement at least to hit the frame. 

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NEW FEATURE - YOUNG BLOOD

Notes on pedigree, attractive crosses and sales trends

14.25 Epsom - Blue Riband Trial

EPICTETUS' dam is Gr1 winner THISTLE BIRD and was bought by his owner for 750,000gns carrying this lad in utero. In his three runs as a 2yo he showed a lot of promise firstly winning fto, then second behind SILVER KNOTT who went on to be second in the Breeders Cup meeting and then another silver medal behind AUGUSTE RODIN in the Gr1 Vertem Futurity Stakes. So he’s got good form and is the one to beat, but the price is way too short. 

STORMBUSTER is not without a chance and if he doesn’t win will probably follow EPICTETUS home. His 2yo form is really solid and he’s a likely type to improve from 2-3yo being a full brother to ARABIAN QUEEN who noticeably took the scalp of GOLDEN HORN in the Juddmonte International. Write off his run against EPICTETUS last year, he didn't go on the heavy ground - will he get stuck in the mud again today?

INTRICACY was bought for €750,000 as a yearling, he has had two runs as a 2yo, both being at Wolverhampton. The form of his win isn’t much to write home about but connections clearly feel he has improved enough to warrant his chance. Best watched. 

HADRIANUS  showed a willing attitude on both his starts and will no doubt make the running today under William Buick. He will have to improve considerably from what he has shown before to trouble the judge.  

Risk on

15.00 FANTASTIC FOX

A SMALL play on this lad on going basis. There's only a couple who'll like the soft in this race and it's LORD PROTECTOR and FANTASTIC FOX with the nod going to the latter at a price (BAD COMPANY likes soft but badly handicapped). Varian's yard hitting the crossbar, a worry but at least most are placing making him an ew play at 15/2.

20.00 YOUNG ENDLESS

Love the pedigree for this trip. If he's improved over the winter, he could be well-handicapped and should win this weak race. Half bet ew at 4's for a dirty ew to reduce risk should he bump into a couple of fitter rivals (he might need run).

Staking and banking

There was a lot of positive feedback recently from people benefitting from our staking advice. Well, and general bank roll tips too. So we'll keep it here as a reminder.

If you want to take punting seriously and use racing as a value add to your life, keep a betting bank, protect it at all times (none of this 'ah we're on a bull run, I'll stick a few stupid bets on') and stick to risking the % stakes, upping notional as the bank grows. Betting banks will change your punting forever. 

Help keep a healthy bank by betting less and using the TOTE Fantasy game to feed the chimp.

The TOTE FANTASY is good chimp management. Create your stable and use code QHZ36G to join the BGP league here: