Three things to look out for on day two at Punchestown
Facile Vega won the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham in superb style. Picture: Healy Racing
Newmarket hosts its Guineas meeting next weekend and on Saturday they run for the roses in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
So, from next week on racing life will all be about guessing the next moves of Classic winners, evaluating prospects for Epsom or the Curragh and working out which skinny-legged two-year-old is the ‘fastest we’ve seen out yet.’ Flat racing careers will flash across the summer with the speed of a jet plane and champions will be shuffled off to stud before we’ve had time to properly know and love them.
Thankfully, the careers of National Hunt horses tend to puff along slowly, like reliable old steam trains, and in Ireland they usually begin in a bumper.
For some inexplicable reason bumpers are getting a bad rap in certain quarters these days, blamed for wastefully consuming an entire year when good young horses should be off jumping things.
One sacrilegious commentator even remarked that “if I wanted to see slow horses running two miles on the flat then I’ll go to Southwell.” This sort of blasphemy should be laid to rest at 6.30 this evening when the brilliant Facile Vega and the possibly brilliant American Mike resume hostilities.
When they met at Cheltenham in March the great Quevega’s son, Facile Vega, beat American Mike handily by four lengths.
His mother used to spend springtime winning at Cheltenham and Punchestown and there’s no reason her son won’t do the same.
It’s already next year for some young horses. Contrary to what might have been expected Punchestown’s three-mile novice champion novice hurdle (5.20pm) never truly developed as a stepping-stone for staying chase champions.
Change, however, may be afoot. Minella Indo beat the mighty Allaho to win this race in 2019 and then went on to take the Cheltenham Gold Cup two years later.
Last season, following our Covid gap year, Galopin Des Champs powered home.
Galopin is now firmly established as the best novice chaser on the planet and is already favourite for next year’s Gold Cup ahead of the brilliant A Plus Tard.
It will be interesting to see if any of the runners today will continue this recent trend.
Journey With Me might be the most likely. Unbeaten in his three races in Ireland he was well held by Sir Gerhard when he came down at the last flight in the Ballymore at Cheltenham and then lay prostrate for what seemed an eternity behind the ominous green screens.
When his handsome chestnut head reappeared confirming that, thankfully, he’d only been winded, the cheers from the stands were the loudest heard on that miserable wet Wednesday.
Journey With Me should be well suited by the better ground and longer trip and if none the worse for his spill will be hard to beat, even against robust and talented opposition. The Nice Guy, despite an unblemished record, was a surprise winner of the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham for Willie Mullins and is reopposed by the runner-up and stablemate, Minella Cocooner.
An intriguing contest awaits.
What begins in a bumper and continues in novice hurdles or chases, the journey of a high-class National Hunt horse concludes in a Gold Cup victory.
The Punchestown version is at 5.55pm today and, even in the absence of A Plus Tard, it looks an absolute cracker, arguably the best race of the week.
Nine runners, all of them with at least one Grade One triumph under their belts and none of them can be discounted in the hunt for the winner. Each of them has questions to answer.
Allaho, a dual Ryanair Chase winner and Minella Indo, runner up in the Gold Cup last month, cross swords yet again.
Will Allaho stay an extra half mile? Can Minella’s steady seasonal improvement be sustained? Will Galvin find the change of gear he lacked in the Gold Cup when fourth, two places ahead of an ageing Al Boom Photo who is looking for one last big gong before his particular journey ends.
Kemboy won this contest three years ago on what was Ruby Walsh’s last racecourse ride and the JP McManus owned pair, Janadil and Fakir D’oudaries are also proven big race winners.
Tornado Flyer took the King George at Christmas under an inspired Danny Mullins ride and is a proven Grade One performer over three miles.
When Tornado won at Kempton he beat last year’s winner, Clan Des Obeaux who reopposes today. It’s nice to welcome a rare and viable English raider. Paul Nicholls’ charge is a creature of habit who tends to win the same races at the same tracks at the same time of year.
He held off Conflated to retain the Betway Bowl at Aintree three weeks ago.
If Allaho stays he probably wins, if not then Clan Des Obeaux (9-2) looks generously priced for another repeat.
