Punchestown tips: Sir Gerhard can strike gold against Kilcruit

Sir Gerhard and Rachael Blackmore won the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham last month. Picture: Healy Racing.

The renewal of rivalry between Sir Gerhard and Kilcruit in the Grade 1 ITM – Supporting Irish Store Sales Champion Bumper is a great compliment to the day’s feature, the Punchestown Gold Cup, and Sir Gerhard can uphold the Cheltenham Champion Bumper form with his stablemate.

The Cheltenham race was run at a modest pace and it’s fair to say Rachael Blackmore gave the winner a clever ride from the front. Kilcruit stayed on strongly to close the gap significantly in the closing stages but there are plenty of reasons to believe the winner can be more authoritative today.

He had switched stables just a couple of weeks before the race and had little time to settle into new surroundings before having to travel to Cheltenham. While it is impossible to gauge just how much that might have affected him, it surely had some impact.

Sir Gerhard was also having his first run for 89 days, whereas the runner-up had prepped at the Dublin Racing Festival. It is also significant that Patrick Mullins has opted for Sir Gerhard this time, and he can take another step towards the amateur riders’ title.

The Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup is the feature on the day and Kemboy can complete back-to-back wins in the race. He has never been at his best around Cheltenham and so his latest run is just best forgotten.

Prior to that, he won the Irish Gold Cup, and before that was just touched off by A Plus Tard in the Savills Chase. That form stacks up well against the best of these and he can land the spoils for Danny Mullins. Al Boum Photo didn’t look to be at his peak when beaten in the Gold Cup but he has had a light campaign and comes here fresher than most.

Clan Des Obeaux was quite good at Aintree, even though there was a distinct lack of opposition, but that was less than three weeks ago, and he has something to find with Kemboy on previous form, albeit two years ago at Aintree.

The three-mile novice hurdle is a bit of a puzzle. Vanillier and Galopin Des Champs were impressive in their respective Cheltenham assignments, the former in a Grade 1 and the latter in Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle. On that form Gavin Cromwell’s horse is the one to beat, but Crosshill looks interesting at a much bigger price.

Jessica Harrington’s runner won a maiden here in October, beating Vanillier by a considerable margin, but failed to build on that win.

However, last time out there were distinct signs of him beginning to fulfil his potential and he can take another step forward. On what he has achieved, he has the best part of a stone to find with the two at the top of the market, but he remains full of potential and can run a big race at a price.

In the Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Hurdle Series Final, Heather Rocco sets a decent standard and should take beating. Henry de Bromhead’s gelding won his only outing in a point to point and two of his three to date over hurdles. That point success was on decent ground, suggesting he should be okay in today’s conditions, and he can give the Blackmore-de Bromhead team another winner in a fabulous season.

Punchestown

TOMMY LYONS

3.40 STAND OFF

4.15 HEATHER ROCCO

4.50 BLUE SARI

5.20 CROSSHILL

5.55 KEMBOY (NB)

6.30 SIR GERHARD (NAP)

7.00 TIGER VOICE

7.35 MANISANDA

NEXT BEST

3.40 FALAK

4.15 GEVREY

4.50 DECIMATION

5.20 VANILLIER

5.55 AL BOUM PHOTO

6.30 KILCRUIT

7.00 THE WEST’S AWAKE

7.35 GRANGEE