All eyes will be on Punchestown on Tuesday as the five-day 2024 Punchestown Festival gets underway, and the opening day sees three Grade 1 races, including the William Hill Champion Chase.
Our top tipping of Alan Kelly, Charlie McCann and Ed Quigley have the action covered with their free Punchestown tips as they aim to kick-off the Festival on a winning note.
Charlie McCann - 3:40pm Punchestown - Tullyhill (Each-Way)
The first four home from the Supreme Novices Hurdle reoppose, and winner Slade Steel will want every drop of the overnight rain if he is to confirm the form with runner-up Mystical Power, who would appreciate a sounder surface.
The second confirmed Cheltenham form with third home Firefox at Aintree last month, whereas the winner was at home resting up for today. This will be his third Grade 1 race in seven weeks - as it will for Firefox - and I wonder if it will take its toll.
TULLYHILL (Each-Way) was made favourite for the Supreme but went out like a light off the home bend. Many had doubted his jumping, but it was excellent at Cheltenham, and he is surely better than that.
Paul Townend has chosen him over stablemates Asian Master and Ile Atlantique and it will be interesting to see what the market makes of his chance. I also feel connections may change tactics today and race him less prominently than at the Festival when he tried to make all.
Alan Kelly - 5:25pm Punchestown - Dinoblue
This is not the strongest renewal of this Grade 1 Champion Chase, despite the presence of Queen Mother Champion Chase 1-2 Captain Guinness and Gentleman De Mee. The Cheltenham championship contest was diluted somewhat with odds-on favourite El Fabiolo pulling up and old rival Jonbon having to miss the race.
With the ground unlikely to be suitable for Joseph O’Brien’s Banbridge, this looks like a good opportunity for one of the two mare’s in the race, DINOBLUE (Nap), to record her second Grade 1 victory of the season in receipt of 7lb from her male rivals.
Willie Mullins’ daughter of Doctor Dino has already finished in front of Captain Guinness, Gentleman De Mee and Fil Dor this season and lost little in defeat when trying to concede 5lb to Limerick Lace in the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. An impressive winner of a handicap over course and distance 12 months ago, Mark Walsh’s mount can provide the Closutton trainer with yet another Grade 1 winner.
Ed Quigley - 6:00pm Punchestown - Sandor Clegane (Each-Way)
Monty’s Star is the one to beat here, and for next season, he is the horse I think is most likely to become a Cheltenham Gold Cup contender.
However, he is short enough at the end of a long season, and one horse who could be capable of an upset is the Paul Nolan-trained SANDOR CLEGANE, who has a bit to find on official figures, and although still a maiden in this sphere, he has run some very good races in defeat, including on very testing ground when behind Monty’s Star in the Brown Advisory at the Cheltenham Festival last month.
Sandor Clegane has a terrific record at Punchestown - he has three wins from five visits here and absolutely bolted up over Hurdles at this meeting 12 months ago.
At a double-figure price, it wouldn’t surprise me if he managed to get in the shake-up from an each-way perspective.
Sean O’Keefe takes the ride on the gelding, and the combination gets the nod from me here in this cracking renewal of the race.
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