Equinties - Punchestown day 2

Gm Equinauts

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Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

JP’s CHASING SQUAD

We won’t review all of yesterday’s Punchestown action as, well, it was all rather fun to watch. We’ll save that for next week’s review, however, the one performance we do want to mention is the one of SPILLANE’S TOWER in the three-mile Grade 1 for numerous reasons.

The Jimmy Mangan-trained novice put in a brilliant show to keep tabs on MONTY’S STAR, who has probably ran to form, throughout before taking him after the last when he needed that extra effort. It was the best display of a perfect trip, performance, and ride you’ll see for a while as everything looked spot-on.

But, away from the isolated performance, a massive word has to be said about the great man, JP McManus.

Bred by Noreen McManus, to give someone like Jimmy Mangan a horse of his quality is true testament to the man, a man who puts a lot to the game of horse racing and all those trainers who he supports. However, as for his strength of horses going into next season, this is something owners could only dream of.

We could be in world where JP fields five in the Gold Cup next season, and he could well take him 1-2-3-4-5 with them as well!

It’s certainly some time to be JP!

BIG RACE PREVIEWS

14.50 GROUP 3 COMMONWEALTH CUP TRIAL STAKES

The Pavilion Stakes, or commonly now known as the Commonwealth Cup Trial Group 3.

The 2 fillies in the race need to be taken seriously, ADAAY IN DEVON and GOT TO LOVE A GREY. Both are Listed winners, the Rod Millman ADAAY IN DEVON most recently at Bath when taking advantage of the weight for age and fillies allowance. GOT TO LOVE A GREY is a little ripper of a filly for Karl Burke who has won this twice in 4 years and this filly holds the only bit of course form.

PUROSANGUE and EL BODON both hold some useful form lines with ESQUIRE who won the Greenham recently. EL BODON is the unexposed of these two and will have a recent fitness edge. EL BODON was a 150,000gns yearling, his dam is a sister to SANDS OF MALI.

STARLUST and JASOUR are no fools. Stall in 7 and 9; generally higher stalls have done better so that is an advantage. Both would love to see the sun come out again today and see the ground dry out. JASOUR is a Gr2 winner having won the July Stakes but his form has tailed off and he is probably best watched on that evidence. STARLUST for Ralph Beckett has been sunning himself in Meydan over the winter. He’ll be ready to rock and his 3rd in the Gr1 Breeders Cup behind BIG EVS looks very good form.

ROSARIO was a 20k yearling by HARRY ANGEL and he surprised a few last year. Placing in the Flying Childers and Cornwallis Stakes. It all went wrong for him at Lingfield recently and they’ll be question marks whether he can actually stay the 6f at Ascot.

INISHFALLEN is back sprinting. The form he holds lacks real depth but he could be better this year as a 3yo.

Verdict: There are a load in this race, who, if firing and ready to go/get a bit of luck can win this. GOT TO LOVE A GREY holds useful course form in a competitive field (and Karl Burke has a won this a couple of times before), ADAAY IN DEVON and EL BODON have improved since last year and STARLUST is fit… but, how can we desert our close friend, the Ferrari? PUROSANGUE is the rocket we knew about before he had even run and gambled him on debut. He’s supposed to have trained on this season and is bigger and stronger. We’ll side with the Ferrari 4’s ew.

16.15 GRADE 1 NOVICE HURDLE

A dead-eight runners are declared for the three-mile Grade 1 novice hurdle, a race that is headed by DANCING CITY.

He probably has the best form in the race having split BALLYBURN and SLADE STEEL over two miles at Punchestown in April 2023 and he has 2 Grade 1s to his name. His win at the DRF did come as a small surprise and the race rather fell apart at Aintree, so does he still have a few questions to answer?

STELLAR STORY was meant to be saved for Aintree this season, but a stone bruise to CROKE PARK forced Gordon Elliott to send him to the Albert Bartlett and he went and won it!

He’s fresh from Cheltenham, so that’s on his side, and that Grade 2 Navan Novice Hurdle form from earlier this season is strong. He’s also won a bumper on yielding ground.

BETTER DAYS AHEAD is the one stepping up from winning the Martin Pipe to Grade 1 company. In recent years, Martin Pipe winners - IROKO, BANBRIDGE, GALOPIN DES CHAMPS, and DON POLI - have gone onto much better things, so that is on his side. He’s Graded quality and Gordon saved him for the Martin Pipe, so he’s sure to take a step up. Whether this is too much too soon ahead of novice chasing next season is the question?

LECKY WATSON is another that comes from that Grade 2 Navan Novice Hurdle and he’s been minded since. If you account the potential Cheltenham factor into his form, he’s had just two runs since Christmas and he was close to SLADE STEEL at Navan over 2m4f. The other came in a strong Lawlor’s Of Naas (FIREFOX form), so he could be underestimated here.

Of the rest, HIGH CLASS HERO was ante-post fav for the Bartlett for a long-time before drifting on the day and running accordingly. Today will be a litmus test as to whether he is Grade 1 quality, though he has definitely shown sparks of it on the track.

Finally, AN TOBAR was highly-regarded at the start of this season after maiden hurdle win over two miles. He’s fallen off since, so this might be too much for him, but he’s worth watching going forward.

Verdict: On this good ground it’s quite hard to see past DANCING CITY at 6/4.

17.25 GRADE 1 PUNCHESTOWN GOLD CUP

The feature of the week looks like a corker, as have all Grade 1 three-mile chases this season, and we have the well-travelled GALOPIN DES CHAMPS at the head of affairs.

You don’t need us to explain what he is as he is clearly very good. Willie Mullins did mention after the Gold Cup that he has probably raced more times than a normal Gold Cup horse would, so this is probably the thing that could get him beat today. That or the slightly quicker surface? It was good ground yesterday and it might be even quicker today.

FASTORSLOW’s connections will be hoping for a better time of things than his run in the Gold Cup as he unseated at the 16th fence. We’d like to say that will make him slightly fresher as he didn’t go the full distance, but it was a soft unseat and he actually followed the pack all the way to the line!

He won the race last year, so you can be sure he’ll love conditions today.

CORACH RAMBLER came home in third at Cheltenham, though he has since had an early-race unseat in the Grand National. This wasn’t the plan, more of an afterthought after his early exit from the National, so that could be a negative against him.

As for one who will like the better ground, HEWICK is a horse we all know likes a decent surface and he’s likely to get that today! He’s a much better horse for fences than hurdles, so his last run can be forgiven, and he did win a King George after all. He has place claims.

In what is a deep field, the one who could be overpriced is CAPODANNO on a sounder surface. He won the Cotswold Chase on good to soft ground and AHOY SENOR has come out of that race to frank the form. On his day, he’s good, but maybe not to GALOPIN DES CHAMPS’ level.

Verdict: GDC is a monster and should win but he’s a bit short at 8/11 for a horse who’s been on the go for quite a while. He could be tired, he could be bouncing. We’re not backing 8/11 to find out. The ew play is HEWICK on the ground.

YOUNG BLOOD

13.10 ASCOT

ROCK HUNTER is the morning favourite for Amy Murphy who is operating at a 24% strike rate. The son of EXPERT EYE made a very promising debut winning by 3 lengths. Difficult to know what the form is like since none of the ones behind have ran again.

TANAGER by HAVANA GOLD who trainer Eve Johnson Houghton has a soft spot for after CHIPOTLE (won this in 2021). On debut he stumbled coming out of the stalls, he was keen as mustard, he ran in to the back of horses, he did everything wrong but still managed to win.

SEX ON FIRE won on debut, unfortunately the 2nd and 3rd haven’t done the form any favours, because of that he’s best watched today.

ENCHANTING EMPRESS won on debut, similar to SEX ON FIRE the form looks mixed. The second has won since so should probably be in front of SEX ON FIRE in the betting. Gets her sex allowance.

DILIGENTLY is the only newcomer of the field, cost 100k and he’s got a likeable pedigree being by speedster HARRY ANGEL and o/o a DUTCH ART mare. Trainer normally sends his 2yo debutants to Windsor, Bath or Salisbury so this entry looks eye-catching.

ATHERSTONE WARRIOR learnt from his debut and took a step forward to win on his second start. More improvement needed but it’s possible.

Verdict: DILIGENTLY 5’s is the most interesting contender considering the yard had a debutant win this in 2018 so it’s eye-catching the trainer sends him here rather than a smaller track which is normally the case for his debut two year olds. TANAGER to go well with improvement highly likely after showing a lot of greenness on debut.

RISK ON

It’s a really hard days racing. There is a bit of word around for the Cox horse (Young Blood verdict) but we’ll side with these two for now:

14.25 ARCH LEGEND

Short at 8/11 (slightly bigger on the exchange), use to lever up another.

14.50 PUROSANGUE

A dirty ew here at 7/2 for the reasons as stated in the preview above.

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