2010 PUNCHESTOWN FESTIVAL DAY ONE PREVIEW AND LATEST SELECTIONS PART TWO

The Goffs Land Rover Bumper is going to be full of surprises with some very green four and five year olds set for debut spins here. There are some quality geldings on offer here, but the size of the field combined with the lack of tangible results for many means you should either skip this one or opt for the contender with the form- in this case that means the 4 year-old Double Double. He took a two mile flat race when sent off at 20/1 against a similar-looking field and he may be poised to strike. You could literally throw darts at a board and have a better idea of who’s going to hit this one. I think this is definitely a race for the each-way punters who are feeling adventurous.

The last three races on the opening day of the 2010 Punchestown Festival includes a pair of Grade 1s. In the Boylesports.com Champion Chase, we have some very promising contenders facing off in today’s clear feature. The favourites in this 11-strong field are the in-form Sizing Europe (who has taken 5 wins on the bounce (one of which being the Arkle at Cheltenham) but the important thing to note is that three of those six races came when sent off as odds-on favourite over the Punchestown course. He will be tough to beat. As consistent as Sizing Europe has been finishing first, Forpadydesplasterer has been just as consistent in finishing second. The Thomas Cooper-trained gelding has finished runner-up to the likes of Albertas Run in the Melling Chase, Big Zeb in the Queen Mother, Twist Magic in the Tingle Creek and he even beat Kalhari King at last year’s Cheltenham Festival to capture the 2009 Arkle. A Sizing Europe/Forpady forecast has to be respected. Kalahari King and Twist Magic are your probable spoilers here.
In the Growise Champion Novice Chase, I expect Jadanli to sponge up a fair amount of betting volume as he searches for his third strike on the bounce. Zaarito is going to attract some punters, but he is a bit inconsistent for me. I think Willy Mullins Kempes teaming up with Tony McCoy may be the best bet for this very interesting Grade 1 fixture.  Kempes was pulled up in the Powers Gold Cup at Fairyhouse two weeks ago but had run 2211 in his prior runs this season. I think if he gets a mistake-free trip and handles the jumps properly then he will be good to go here. The Midnight Club is another one from Mullins’ barn and his third place finish in the Jewson Novices at Cheltenham is a solid reference against a field that could be dominated by a real improver.
The final outing of the day is a Pro/Am event for 4 year-olds in the 7:15 Equitrek Finlay Ford. Being juveniles there isn’t a huge amount of past performances to from, so I will likely wind up siding with Willy Mullins charge Laganbank who was a beaten favourite when sent off at Thurles back in late February. I think he struggled a bit with the going and should get a better trip today. Corrib Princess is another to watch here, but this one could go in absolutely any direction.