Paul Jones Private Service – Punchestown Day 5

Fri, Apr 23, 2010

The final day of a marathon meeting and unquestionably the weakest in terms of quality. Although this is another eight-race card, only the insane should be looking at the last two races which are for 28 unraced bumper horses and another 28-runner field in a charity sweepstakes so I have pretty much overlooked those.

2.30 IRISH FIELD CHASE
The third and final cross-country race of the meeting, even though there are 19 runners, this is probably also the least competitive so, once again, only consider the obvious. In the first two races of this ilk at this meeting I have permed the first three in the market in exactas and trifectas and came out with a profit both times so will doubtless look to do to the same again.

SHORT LIST
DROMBEAG
FRENEYS WELL
LORD NELLERIE

CONCLUSION
It’s hard to get away from the Enda Bolger pair of Freneys Well and Drombeag here. FRENEYS WELL who was a good second in the La Touche Cup on Thursday and Nina Carberry keeps the ride. If you are concerned he ran earlier in the week then turn the clock back 12 months as he hosed up by 19 lengths in this race having previously run in the opening race of the meeting. Then again, he didn’t run well a few days earlier 12 months ago so didn’t really have a race and this is also just two days later whereas he had four days off last year. The former Foxhunters’ winner DROMBEAG has run many a good cross-country race at Cheltenham and was a close seventh at the Festival this year on his first run since pulling up in this contest 12 months ago when clearly not right. The reason for that was probably because he was a good fifth two days earlier in the La Touche Cup which is why I am just preferring him to Freneys Well here as he is fresher. LORD NELLERIE has twice finished third over these fences this season so looks the obvious next best of the remainder.

3.10 ITBA FILLIES & MARES EBF HURDLE
Voler La Vedette burst onto the scene winning this race last season and this looks a very competitive race of its type.

SHORT LIST
SERPENTARIA
ALEGRALIL
NO ONE TELLS ME
LA SARRAZINE

CONCLUSION
A very good mare for Willie Mullins last season, SERPENTARIA is now with Gordon Elliott and things have not gone to plan especially six days ago when she unseated her rider at the first flight when sent over to Cheltenham for a hot mares’ handicap. Therefore this could smack as an afterthought but as long as she has taken nothing out of herself with the travelling, she does interest me at a big price as she has clearly been held back for this better ground and did start 9/4 favourite for this race 12 months ago when only seventh when the ground went against her. ALEGRALIL travels over for Donald McCain but she was disappointing after winning her first two novice hurdles but shaped much better in a red-hot novice mares final at Newbury under a big weight so is of interest here as her trainer doesn’t send horses to Ireland often and seriously knows the time of day and as held her in high regard even comparing her favourably to his Festival winner, Whiteoak. I backed NO ONE TELLS ME in the Mares Hurdle at the Festival and she disappointed me finishing ninth. She is better than that judged on her second to Voler La Vedette and deserves a short list berth on that one piece of form alone and she also warmed up for this with a win on the Flat 11 days ago. LA SARRAZINE disappointed her supporters behind General Miller at Aintree but is well regarded so could be worth another chance. A high-class handicapper on the Flat, this Good ground should help bring the best out in her now back to taking on her own sex.

3.45 EVENTUS MARQUEES NOVICE CHASE
Do I really need to tell you which trainer has excelled in this race? Four wins in the last six years for Willie Mullins and he relies on THEMOONANDSIXPENCE this time but he is short on chasing experience.

SHORT LIST
BOBS PRIDE
THEMOONANDSIXPENCE
CUAN NA GRAI

CONCLUSION
Clearly given the stable’s record in the race allied to current form THEMOONANDSIXPENCE has to be strongly considered. Off the track for 239 days since completing his hat-trick in August (two hurdles and a chase), I would not be worried at all by the break hailing from just this yard but just one chase start is a concern taking on experienced novices. Still, being by Presenting, he has his ground and certainly has the look of a horse held back to give the yard a third straight win in the race. CUAN NA GRAI also has his ground. A former Galway Hurdle winner as a novice, he has been struggling on winter ground but is a high class horse on this surface and tough to boot. BOBS PRIDE is another Good ground horse and was considered classy enough to run in a Champion Hurdle. Well fancied to beat Sizing Europe and Harchibald over fences earlier in the season (started as short as 5/2), if a horse is to outclass his rivals in this field, it could well be him and he was successfully laid out to win a handicap hurdle at this meeting three years ago so this could have the plan for the second half of the season. If Noel Meade was in better form I would have been keener on JEWEL OF THE EAST who is another that would appreciate the ground.

4.25 AIRSHOW CHAMPION 4YO HURDLE
A Grade 1 race apparently but you would never guess it looking at this line up – what an awful year this has been for juvenile hurdling. Not a strong trends race bar looking to a horse that ran in the Triumph Hurdle and is at least fairly well to the fore in the betting.

British-trained horses have won over half of the last dozen runnings which is impressive given how heavily outnumbered they have been and the Aintree 1-2 ORSIPPUS and BARIZAN plus Alan King’s GILDED AGE have travelled over. The first two also placed at the Cheltenham Festival so it will be a tough effort from either of them to keep their form through all three spring Festivals. Then again, this isn’t an up to scratch renewal so they could get away with it. Barizan almost stole the Triumph Hurdle under an ultra aggressive ride and no prizes for guessing that race has been the most influential for this contest (8 of the last 12 winners ran there) but Gilded Age ran a decent sixth and missed Aintree so would be the fresher of the pair. CARLITO BRIGANTE finished fourth in the Triumph but this track should suit better.

The best Irish guide has been the Spring Novices’ Hurdle in which CROSS APPEAL finished second but he has been well beaten twice since.

SHORT LIST
BARIZAN
GILDED AGE
CARLITO BRIGANTE

CONCLUSION
Given how well the Brits have fared in this race and the Triumph Hurdle has been key, we should look to the second and sixth BARIZAN and GILDED AGE. Of the pair, BARIZAN is a better trends horse as he also ran at Aintree and that has been a good guide but Gilded Age is the fresher and it would not be a shock if he could reverse Cheltenham placings with Barizan as a result. CARLITO BRIGANTE is probably the best 4yo hurdler in Ireland but could never get into a bizarre running of the Triumph Hurdle but ran on for fourth. Good ground looks like it will suit him ideally and he is unlikely to let Barizan get another big lead so he also has decent chances of reversing Cheltenham form. The Fred Winter third ORSIPPUS was one of many shock winners at Aintree and is respected but we have to draw the line somewhere and I prefer Triumph form to Fred Winter form (in which he was third) for this race.

5.00 TULFARIS HOTEL PAT TAAFFE HANDICAP CHASE
The handicaps this week have been virtually impossible with maximum fields and this is another featuring 25 runners.

SHORT LIST
OFFSHORE ACCOUNT
LOCHAN LACHA
SHUIL ARIS
BALLYTRIM

CONCLUSION
OFFSHORE ACCOUNT continues to interest me as I felt he ran a belter to be fourth in the William Hill Trophy at Cheltenham in and around lots of well-weighted novices and then like everything bar two horses, he could never really get into the Topham when he finished seventh over the Grand National fences. The winner of a Grade 1 novice chase at this fixture in the past, he clearly likes this course and is certainly off a winnable mark of 133. Willie Mullins’ representative is BALLYTRIM who has also won at this meeting before which I like. He completed in the Irish National but was never really in the hunt so was spared a hard race and had previously beaten the Irish National winner on his previous start so he has to be considered. SHUIL ARIS is a previous course winner and is bang in-form winning two of his last three starts so is a player for Paul Nolan. He has not finished out of the first four in three starts at the track so is of each-way interest. LOCHAN LACHA has not run for 93 days when fourth in the Thyestes Chase but that could be intentional knowing how Tony Martin operates and he has been ready for a while as had five-day entries for handicaps at the Cheltenham Festival. He creeps in here off 10st 1lb and the only time he has encountered Good ground in the past he absolutely bolted up.

5.35 TOTE.COM HANDICAP HURDLE
Some respite for this handicap hurdle, just 22 runners. Willie Mullins has won two of the last four runnings and runs six here so there must be a decent chance he can extend that sequence and Paul Townend is on C’EST CA suggesting he is their number one.

SHORT LIST
DEUTSCHLAND
SILVERHAND
C’EST CA
FARRINGDON

CONCLUSION
Having backed SILVERHAND on the day in the Coral Cup only to see him all but brought down two out when coasting and then having a bigger bet on him at Aintree when I didn’t see too many excuses when finishing sixth, I know exactly what will happen if I don’t have a few pennies on him here. He is well handicapped and likes decent ground, it is just the form of the Meade horses that is of concern. As for the Willie Mullins sextet, C’EST CA would seem to be the number one on jockey bookings but the yard’s lesser fancied runners in two races have won two races this week and I just wonder if this could be DEUTSCHLAND’S day. A two-time course winner, he was heavily backed from nowhere into favouritism for the Coral Cup when he finished in mid-division and has run two more excellent races at the track. C’est Ca was also well fancied for Cheltenham but fell at the first in the Martin Pipe Hurdle so has to also be respected for the yard going for a third win in the race in five years. FARRINGDON gets the final vote as he has not finished out of the first four in five starts at the course and has found just one too good not beaten far on his last two starts.

6.05 IRISH SUN INH FLAT RACE
The sixth and final bumper of the meeting and they have saved the most impossible for last as it features 28 unraced horses under Rules (two have run in points though have failed to finish in five starts between them). Totall guesswork so I have left it.

6.40 DIAGEO IRELAND CHARIT SWEEPSTAKES
Basically this is a charity jolly-up to finish the meeting so I wouldn’t touch it with a bargepole.