BETWAY’S HEED YOUR Hunch is here to provide you with three top tips at the Punchestown Festival, where the Gold Cup takes centre stage today
The opening Grade One on Wednesday sees plenty of rivalries renewed with the first three home in last month’s Albert Bartlett all lining up for the Novice Hurdle (5.30).
Minella Indo won at 50/1 that day to give Rachael Blackmore her first Grade One success, but as favourite he is an unappealing proposition as he chases a fourth career win at this grade.
Carefully Selected (5/1) finished second in the Cheltenham Champion Bumper last year and the freakishly dry autumn meant this strapping son of Well Chosen has only had one outing this season.
The form of that race is an irrelevance to this contest as he needed the run. Carefully Selected won that day and, at these prices, is a far more attractive betting proposition than those that ran at Cheltenham, as the three-mile novice has left a mark on previous winners.
The big race of the day sees the Irish Gold Cup winner (Bellshill), Cheltenham Gold Cup Winner (Al Boum Photo) and Aintree Bowl winner (Kemboy) line up again in the Punchestown Gold Cup (6.05).
If they weren’t all trained by the same man it might be a little more exciting, but it remains no less intriguing. Willie Mullins will win this race for the fifth time on Wednesday.
A quick look through the previous winners displays how difficult it is for Cheltenham Gold Cup winners to back that up here, with only three successfully landing the double since Imperial Call in 1999.
From a freshness and proven course-form angle, Bellshill (6/1) is the selection. Ruby Walsh cautiously pulled him up at Cheltenham, but he was fine afterwards and looks a nice price to defend his crown. David Mullins rides, as he did when winning last year, and he can do it again.
The Big Dog (11/4) looked to have the world at his feet when winning at Gowran on Thyestes Day — he beat quite a few of Wednesday’s rivals on that occasion. Since that win he was set an impossible task at the Dublin Racing Festival in Grade One company.
That was an understandable decision by connections given they knew they had qualified for this final of the EBF Auction Hurdle Series. He may turn out to be a graded chaser on soft ground in time, but before then he can oblige in the 4.20 at Punchestown, providing enough of the predicted rain falls.
Get your money back as a free bet if your horse finishes second in a race with 6+ runners at the Punchestown Festival thanks to Betway’s Money Back Special. You can also win a prize of £25k each day of the festival on Betway’s Insider Blog with 4 To Win, a free-to-play prediction game. Offer as above. 18+, always gamble responsibly. For more, see Dunlewey.net
