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Punchestown Day Five

The magnificent Honeysuckle and the equally magnificent Rachael Blackmore were the racing heroines at Punchestown on Friday. She is just far superior to all other two-mile hurdlers at the moment and had the luxury of taking a very long look at the last before getting down to business again to hold off Sharjah. Much of the debate afterwards revolved around a potential chasing career. That will be a discussion that I am sure the team will have but for now we should enjoy the brilliant performances she has given us this season ably assisted by her wonderful jockey. She has danced every dance and to remain unbeaten is a testament to all involved. She appears to be getting better and improving all the time and whatever rout they take she has the National Hunt world at her feet.

It was disappointing we didn’t get to see Bob Olinger again and Gaillard Du Mesnil was a workmanlike winner of the Grade 1 novice hurdle. I was delighted to see David Maxwell get his head in front aboard Bob and Co. It was a timely success with the social media lockout this weekend as he has had more than his fair share of abuse on social media. He is fully entitled to ride his own horses – after all he is the one paying the bills. He even got the better of Patrick Mullins on this occasion, perhaps even to his own surprise.

Moving on to day five and it has been a long week since Tuesday’s success with an unwanted mix of taking out a couple of winners as their price had gone and tipping a few that have run very poorly. Nevertheless, we are ahead for the week and I hope to have saved the best for last, but more on that later. I will take a quick look through the Grade 1s on the final day. Concertista will be hard to beat in the Mares Hurdle. I think at this trip, Punchestown will suit her better than Cheltenham and she should have too much pace for her rivals. I thought she was just outstayed at Cheltenham, possibly as a result of over-racing a little in the early part of the race but this should be perfect for her. The four-year old hurdle looks a cracking contest, with three of the first four home in the Triumph set to do battle once more. My initial thoughts were that Zanahiyr did not give his running at Cheltenham, and given a more prominent ride he might well be the one. The stable form is a bit of a concern though and not only does he have to reverse the form with Quilixios, but he also has Triumph third, Haut En Couleurs in opposition. The latter was having his first run for Willie Mullins at Cheltenham and is a likely improver which makes the task for Zanahiyr even greater. I am happy to take a watching brief.

I will be having an investment on Ilikedwayurthinkin in the ultra-competitive handicap hurdle at 5.05. He has been chasing this year with little success but he has plenty in his favour here. Firstly, it is his first run on goodish ground since he won twice at the Galway festival in 2019. While they were off just 111 and 116 (5lb penalty) respectively, he clearly was miles better than those marks and was immediately hit with a large rise in the weights. He went off second favourite for the Martin Pipe at Cheltenham last year off the back of an eyecatching run at Leopardstown. In the race itself, nothing went right for him and he probably did well to finish as close as he did, beaten just over five lengths. That was off a mark of 139 and he gets to run off a 4lb lower mark here. That run suggests that if on his game, this mark is workable at least and the fact that conditions may suit give added hope. The concern is his jumping as errors were a part of the Galway successes and were a major contributor to his defeat at Cheltenham. The risk is outweighed by the price though and even a reasonable round of jumping should see him go very close.

For what it's worth, I do not have a strong opinion on the 2000 Guineas from Newmarket. I think it is a wide open renewal and can make a case for four or five. If I was pushed, I would be suggesting Wembley as I think he is possibly the one most likely to run his race and be competitive at least but it is certainly not a confident prediction. Looking forward to watching it though as it really signals the start of the Flat season and I am sure the weekend cards will throw up plenty of winners throughout the season. Notebooks at the ready...


0.5pt eway Ilikedwayurthinkin (22/1 Paddy Power, Betfair, BetVictor, 20/1 General) Punchestown 5.05 *use firms paying 6 places


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