Punchestown Thursday Betting Preview Part One

There are a number of extremely exciting contests kicking off on Day Three of the 2011 Punchestown Festival and we'll be taking a snapshot of each race and attempting to decipher just how things might shape up. The day's feature is the World Hurdle where a who's-who of the Irish hurdling scene look set to clash.

Wednesday's Punchestown action saw a dramatic feature contest unfold as Kauto Star simply did not look his best and was pulled up by Ruby Walsh after having looked relatively fluent early on. Roberto Goldback looked to have sealed the deal before falling at the last fence, though it should be noted that both jockey and horse were reported to be in good order – impressive after such a spectacular fall. 20/1 winner Follow The Plan wound up taking top honors with Vic Ventauri and Rare Bob securing second and third place.

Needless to say, rumours are circulating that Kauto Star's retirement is not imminent but is widely being contemplated.

3:40 AON HURDLE

This 2m4f contest doesn't really feature any genuine stand-out selections but the group acquits themselves well and a good number of them enter with a fair amount of recent form. Willy Mullins is saddling Popcorn for this one, a lightly-raced eight-year-old who just secured a maiden win when well-backed at Thurles last time out. It was a no-nonsense sort of affair last time and he'd been knocking on the door for a few races after graduating off the National Hunt flat circuit back in December. He is still emerging but would really enjoy adding a bigger scalp on a bigger stage. This is an ambitious move from connections but if he builds on that last performance you can expect him to be there-or-thereabouts.

Another maiden winner from the Mullins yard gets an entry as six-year-old Rattan, a rare American-bred on this circuit, emerges off a win at Ballinrobe looking to bring some of that good form over here. He had enjoyed himself on the flat circuit and will be looking to bring plenty of that speed to this contest.

Si C'Etait Vrai is taking a pronounced drop in class as he lined up in the Deloitte Novices Hurdle last time out, finishing a tame seventh, but he didn't look fluent that day and should be in much better form here. I expect him to take a fair amount of money.

4:15 KILDARE POST HANDICAP CHASE

It's a tough draw for winning mare Coscorrig who gets top-weight against a field of geldings. The nine-year-old will carry 11^st 8 and enters off back to back scores at listed level. She's been able to capitalize at a variety of distances ranging from 2m to 2m4f so you have to appreciate the versatility that she brings to the table. She's beaten males at Punchestown over fences before so I reckon she'll likely be the one to play if she goes off at a reasonable price.

The wildcard is Dr Whizz, who gets Tony McCoy, and he was a beaten favourite last time out but looks to have acquitted himself fairly well in the past in races not too far off this one. He's not won for a while but has hit the board frequently so let's see what AP can do with him this time over fences as the two hadn't really combined for much on two previous attempts over hurdles.

4:50 AVON RI CORPORATE & LEISURE RESORT CHASE FOR THE LA TOUCHE CUP

It's usually worth backing Garde Champetre in quirky distances like this 4m1f contest and he'll likely be able to take advantage of a few pounds he gets on some of the other higher-weighted contenders. The only real question is likely to be whether his price carries much value or not. I reckon he'll stay the distance with minimal fuss and the fact that it might be playing a bit faster tomorrow might mean he'll sit back off the lead for the better part of the contest. He's won two of his last three at Punchestown.

Lucky Luk has found some success in the past on the handicap circuit and he might be able to factor in this one if things line up for him. He scored over 3m at Towcester a few races back and looked to have a bit more in the gas tank so the additional mile likely won't take him out of the equation. Look for him to get up for a slice, at least.