Punchestown Festival 2016: Day Two Preview

Don Cossack's unfortunate withdrawal after a tendon injury sustained in his last piece of work appears to leave Cue Card with outstanding claims in the Grade 1 Punchestown Gold Cup, as he bids to bring the curtain down on a near perfect campaign.

Cue Card was still going well when falling three out in the latest Gold Cup (rated as finishing second to Don Cossack) and quickly gained compensation with a nine-length success from Gold Cup third Don Poli in the Bowl at Aintree, adding to his wins in the Charlie Hall (following a breathing operation), Betfair Chase and King George earlier in the season. Cue Card was most impressive in the Bowl and he can prove once again that he wasn’t quite himself last season with another victory here.

Djakadam and Don Poli represent the Willie Mullins yard that has won this race a record three times, courtesy of Florida Pearl (2002), Sir des Champs (2013) and Boston Bob (2014). Djakadam finished second in the Gold Cup for the second year running last month, beaten four and a half lengths by Don Cossack, but he wasn’t in the same form when 17 lengths third to Cue Card in the Bowl. Another big effort at Cheltenham seemingly took more out of him than it had his stablemate, Don Poli, who produced career-best efforts in both the Gold Cup (third) and Bowl and may prove the biggest threat to Cue Card here.

Road To Riches wasn’t quite at his best when turned over at odds-on by Smashing in the Webster Cup at Navan last time, possibly finding the race coming too soon after finishing a creditable third behind Vautour and Valseur Lido in the Ryanair at Cheltenham. Even his best may not be enough for him to match his third in this race last year. Foxrock finished third in the Webster Cup and has not won in his last seven starts.

Smashing has won his four completed starts this term and is clearly an improved model, but he had appeared to find things tough prior to being pulled up in the Ryanair on his penultimate outing.

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Wednesday's Grade 1 Irish Daily Mirror Novices’ Hurdle over three miles gives the stayers a chance to round out their campaign with a win. Willie Mullins has nominated Bellshill, winner of the Champion Bumper at the meeting last year, as his chief representative. Upped to this trip for the first time at Aintree, he returned to form when going down by a neck to Ballyoptic in the Sefton which he might have won but for a bad mistake two out.

Bellhill’s stable-companions Arkwrisht finished seventh there and can't be ruled out in open contest, with Gigginstown also represented by Gangster, General Principle, Stone Hard and A Genie In Abottle. The progressive Emerging Force, who would have made it three out of four over hurdles for Harry Whittington but for unseating at the last in a handicap at Haydock last time, also appears to hold sound claims on his first try at this level.

The field is completed by Grade 2 winner Acapella Bourgeois, Bigbadjohn, Sandymount Duke (trained by Jessica Harrington), the unbeaten The Barrowman and Coney Island, who comes into this race on the back of victory in a competitive Fairyhouse handicap last time. 

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Willie Mullins has won the Grade 1 Champion I.N.H. Flat Race a record six times, with five of those wins in the last eight years (Shaneshill and Bellshill on the mark in the last two) and he fields six of the 13 runners here.

Willie Mullins saddled seven horses in the latest Champion Bumper at Cheltenham won by Ballyandy and they included the second, third and fourth. Battleford filled the runner-up spot that day, finishing two lengths ahead of Bacardys, but the latter reversed the form in the equivalent event at Aintree when scoring by half a length. There is unlikely to be much between the pair again, while the Cheltenham third Castello Sforza also remains with potential and left the impression that the experience of contesting such a competitive race would do him good. 

Castello Sforza’s owner J. P. McManus is also represented by Aspen Colorado who is housed at the stables Joseph O’Brien runs under his father Aidan’s name. Aspen Colorado cost the Coolmore partners €250,000 as a yearling and has won Leopardstown bumpers on both his starts. He missed the big meetings at Cheltenham and Aintree, during which time he’s been gelded, and could well be the type who’ll improve again.

Moon Racer is a fascinating runner given he’s not run since taking his unbeaten record to three races in the Champion Bumper at the 2015 Cheltenham Festival. His story has been an amazing one already—he failed to make his reserve at just €250 as a yearling, sold to Irish trainer Michael Ronayne for €5,000 as an unraced four-year-old and was bought by his current connections after his winning debut for £225,000—and he remains with potential, especially when sent jumping.

Another British raider comes in the shape of Coeur Blimey who had been among the favourites for the Champion Bumper before drifting and eventually finishing eleventh. He’d beaten Ballyandy at Ascot in December but had been in receipt of 4 lb from the runner-up that day (7 lb if you include his jockey’s claim) and may not be open to as much improvement as some of these.

Very Much So made a successful start in the Land Rover Bumper at this meeting in 2014 but has run just once since, when eighth in last month’s Champion Bumper at Cheltenham. He was not seen to best effect there, having found himself in a poor position four furlongs out, but he’s perhaps down the Mullins pecking order. Avenir d’Une Vie finished twelfth in the same race, though he was the second shortest-priced of the Mullins runners that day (Augusta Kate was sent off favourite but could manage only seventh, though she’s since finished a close second in the mares’ bumper at Aintree) and shouldn’t be overlooked.

Perhaps the fly in the ointment from the Mullins camp is Blow By Blow who built on his debut when winning a five-runner race at Navan in February and then followed up at Fairyhouse last month from three rivals. Whatever Blow By Blow does on Wednesday, he’ll make a smashing staying jumper next season (his dam is a halfsister to the same yard’s smart hurdler/very smart chaser Cooldine).

Articulum, Grotesque, Presenting Percy and The Sneaky Punter complete the field.