Punchestown Festival Opening Day Betting Preview Part Two

5:30 BOYLESPORTS.COM CHAMPION CHASE (GRADE 1)

Sizing Europe was a real feather in my cap at the Cheltenham Festival when he bossed the Champion Chase to deliver at a tasty 10/1. He set up a number of punters with a nice bankroll for the final few days and he'll be looking to get the better of Big Zeb again in this one. There isn't a huge amount between the two of them but bookmakers seem convinced that he looks the more dangerous of the pair. At the moment, early betting has Sizing around a 7/4 listing while Big Zeb trades at around 2/1 or even 9/4. It will be interesting to see how the prices actually fluctuate on the day.

The first four from the Queen Mother Champion Chase are going for the rematch here so there is a bit more up for grabs than just another showdown between Big Zeb and Sizing Europe. Captain Cee Bee was a ways off the leading pair in the Queen Mother so his connections will be looking for a bigger performance from him here and you reckon he might actually get it. He has only one loss in four efforts at Punchestown and it came in his very first race on the NH flat circuit. His 5/1 price will likely drift up if Sizing Europe or Big Zeb take a substantial amount of money on the day. You'll also find Golden Silver in this one and he got the better of Big Zeb earlier this year only to run a tame fourth in the Queen Mother. He is priced around 5/1 and could be set for a run and is certainly in the mix from a ratings standpoint.

I like Sizing Europe and Captain Cee Bee in a straight forecast though I wouldn't be surprised to see CCB get up and just nose this one so boxing it up might be the order of the day.

6:05 GOFFS LAND ROVER BUMPER

A large field of debutantes are going off shortly after the feature and there's only a few who've actually had an outing before so this one is a fairly big toss-up. Black Zorro was ran second but was beaten by seven lengths in his debut so it looks like he just may have come against one that was ready to run. He should enjoy the going here and it's always bettor backing somebody's who's at least had a run out. He has been off for just about a month and should be fresh enough to factor here. Purcell's Bridge has also been out before and finished 4/24 against a tough field at Cork. He kept on well over the final few furlongs in that one and you reckon he might get a better trip now that connections know a bit more about what to do with him.

6:40 GROWISE CHAMPION NOVICE CHASE (GRADE 1)

We've got a proper staying contest set to separate the pretenders from the real-deal contenders in this one with Quito De La Roque getting a bit of an edge against a competitive-looking field of horses. He's forged a good partnership with Davy Russell and the pair are looking for their fourth win on the bounce to round off what would be a very impressive season for the seven-year-old son of Saint Des Saints. A winner of the Grade 2 Mildmay Novices at Aintree, the only thing that might work against this one is the fact that he's been out a few times this year. He is unraced at Punchestown but has won at Naas, Navan, Clonmel and Fairyhouse in the past- Punchestown won't look out of place on his track record, that's for sure.

Quel Esprit could be a real factor if he's able to actually finish the race as his past two attempts have been falling efforts. Reve De Sivola has been knocking on the door for a while and could be set to progress here though you wonder whether his 7/1 price might be a bit short.

7:15 FINLAY MOTOR GROUP INH FLAT RACE

We've got another flat contest set to run as the nightcap here and the 25-strong field sets up nicely for Gigginstown House Stud-owned Dont Back Down. He's been point to pointing for scored on his debut against a limited field of five at Belclare in maiden company. Derek O'Connor retains the mount for this race and you expect the pair to push forward as this one really should be a similar type of contest but his challenge might be navigating through traffic in a field this large. River Slaney looks to be a potential winner having finished fourth in an INH contest at Leopardstown against a field of ten. Streets of Newyork was a beaten favourite last time out and could make a statement as well. This is a wide-open race.