Ruby Walsh on Punchestown: Keep the faith with Facile Vega
TOUCHED OFF: Facile Vega, left, had to settle for second behind Marine Nationale in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle but can end his season on a high at Punchestown on Tuesday. Pic: Healy Racing
Late on Tuesday afternoon, the run to the end of the 2022/23 National Hunt season will kick off in Punchestown. It's my local festival and one I always look forward to, but I don't doubt some of you will feel it has become dominated by one yard.
It has, but that is not Willie Mullins’ fault, as he has built a team of horses over many years and follows the same route from November to April.
He forgoes October and early November in an attempt to have plenty of his string in the form to last from the Dublin Racing Festival in early February, through Cheltenham in March, and onto Fairyhouse at Easter, and Punchestown in April.
He does skirt around Aintree, where he is sparsely represented relative to the number of horses he trains.
It will be the opposite this week, where Hattie, the yard rottweiler, could nearly get an entry and a declaration. It will be Willie Mullins-dominated, but I know trying to pick the right one of his is never straightforward.
He will run so many horses this week that his yearly strike rate of 30%, or nearly one winner in every three runners, will fall considerably by Saturday. But next Monday is a new season, and by next Friday hosts of these will be in fields enjoying their holidays.
Tuesday’s meeting starts at 3.40pm, with the Howden Insurance Brokers Mares’ Novice Hurdle, in which Willie has three of the 14 runners. Paul Townend rides Night And Day, but she ran poorly at Fairyhouse, and Saylavee probably wants a bit further than this two-mile trip. Nikinni is the third one, and the 132-day break between Down Royal in early November and Cheltenham in March may have played against her. With that run under her belt, she is my choice here.
The KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle is next and, with no Marine Nationale to contend with, Facile Vega can regain the winning thread. The DRF and Cheltenham Festival losses have probably taken some of the gloss off his reputation, but I was given the privilege of riding him last week, and he most certainly regained my admiration. He impressed me, and I left Closutton with an understanding of Willie’s regard for him.
Found A Fifty will ensure this is a strong gallop, which will help Il Etait Temps, who ran better in the Supreme than his finishing position suggests. He made a bad mistake four from home, which is a crucial hurdle for momentum on the Old Course at Cheltenham, so he can fare much better on Tuesday.
Diverge, who finished third in the Supreme, was ridden to run well and may have outrun himself. Passing tired horses is more effortless than competing with them and then trying to beat them, so I don't see him getting past Facile Vega, whom I expect to win.
The third race is the Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle, and Willie’s four here can be narrowed down to one quite quickly. Tekao simply couldn't handle the atmosphere and noise at Cheltenham, which caused him to boil over and run his race before the race even started. He looks to be on a favourable mark and can begin to recoup some of the losses many incurred in March.
The feature race is the William Hill Champion Chase, and the reigning Champion Chase hero Energumene lines up against a fresh opponent. Gentleman Du Mee missed the Cheltenham Festival after winning at the DRF and comes a fresher horse than his main rival, but the unusually wet April we have had should have swung the balance in favour of the champion.
For Gentleman Du Mee to dethrone him, he probably could have done with more spring-like ground than Punchestown will produce. That's not a bad thing, as the majority of horses will like the slow underfoot conditions, but Gentleman Du Mee is possibly best on a sound surface.
In the Dooley Insurance Champion Novice Chase, Henry De Bromhead’s sole representative, Journey With Me, is likely to start favourite against the Closutton battalions. He should have a freshness edge over some of Willie's runners, and a fitness advantage over the other, Classic Getaway. But this is a race I find particularly hard to figure out. Call me ‘chicken’ if you wish for not sticking my neck out, but I prefer ‘prudent’ for realising I don't know.
The traditional opener was the Ladies’ Cup, but it now slots in as the second-last race on the card, and I am going to do what I usually do in a banks race and side with Enda Bolger. De Nordener is the pick.
Willie is well represented in both bumpers on the card and based on homework, Patrick has chosen Predators Gold in the Land Rover. He goes well at home, but I imagine he won’t be the only one well fancied in this contest. Ninth Loch, who runs in the finale, shows plenty of speed at home, and I hope he stays.
