Punchestown tips: Journey With Me can thwart the Willie Mullins battalion

Diverge can turn around Cheltenham form with stablemate Facile Vega in the KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle

Tue, 25 Apr, 2023 - 06:58

Tommy Lyons

The Punchestown festival gets underway Tuesday afternoon and while most observers are expecting utter dominance from perennial champion trainer Willie Mullins — and that will almost certainly play out over the course of the week — Henry de Bromhead can grab an early Grade One by taking the Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase with Journey With Me.

A high-class novice hurdler, he was beaten when falling on his chasing debut, at Gowran, but was much better next time, when running out an easy winner of a beginners' chase at Naas. He stepped up to Grade Three company for his third chase and found Impervious too good, but that form received a boost when the winner won the Mares' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Off for eight weeks from that run until contesting last month's Grade Three Directors' Plate at Naas, he did his best work in the closing stages when denying the progressive Limerick Lace her hat-trick.

That was over two and a half miles, as were his three previous runs over fences, and he ought to be even better over today's three-mile trip. Although he has not won at the top level, unlike Appreciate It and Sir Gerhard, he has less to prove at this stage and hence is preferred.

Paul Townend has chosen Appreciate It and while he may prove to be the best of Mullins' quartet, the nine-year-old was well beaten in each of his last three outings and may struggle to cope with the selection. He is trying three miles on track for the first time and sporting a tongue-tie. On balance, he is opposable, as is Sir Gerhard, who was below par over three miles at Cheltenham but ran well in defeat when dropped back to two and a half miles at Fairyhouse.

The KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle is the first Grade One of the festival, and the Willie Mullins-trained Diverge can turn around Cheltenham form with stablemate Facile Vega.

The pair filled the two positions directly behind winner Marine Nationale in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle and while that may have been seen as something of a disappointment for runner-up Facile Vega, it can only be read as an enhancement of Diverge's reputation.

While he has Flat form in France, that was just his third time over hurdles, and the race wasn't run to suit. Held up out the back for much of the trip, he was quite keen in the hands of Patrick Mullins and ran into some traffic along the way. However, he jumped well, in the main, and picked up nicely to finish third.

In Tuesday's small field, it would be great to see his rider take the bull by the horns and let his mount bowl along in front. Given his slick jumping and the fact he looks the type to stay further, if he was to get into a rhythm, it could make life very difficult for Facile Vega, who has something to prove following his two recent defeats.

The second Grade One on the card is the William Hill Champion Chase and it is at the behest of Champion Chaser Energumene, who need only turn up in the same form as at Cheltenham to justify odds-on favouritism. He won at this festival in 2021 and 2022 and can complete his hat-trick. Stablemate Gentleman De Mee was good when beating Blue Lord at the Dublin Racing Festival and he can confirm that form and run into second place on this occasion.

PUNCHESTOWN

Selections

3:40 Night And Day

4:15 Diverge (NB)

4:50 Brazil

5:25 Energumene

6:00 Speculatrix

6:35 Journey With Me (Nap)

7:10 Vital Island

7:45 Dollar Nolimit

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