Punchestown Festival Preview: Day One
Renowned Horse Racing Tipster and Journalist Ed Quigley, aka ‘Longshot Ted’ offers up his best bets for the opening day of the Punchestown Festival.
Punchestown odds:
- (4.50) Tekao & Path D’Oroux(both to win) – bet with BetVictor
- (5.25) – Energumene to beat Gentleman De Mee (Forecast) bet with bet365
- (6.35) – Journey WIth Me, win – bet with BetUK
4.50 Tekao & Path De’Oroux
This looks ultra-competitive as you would expect, as we have a blend of solid handicap performers, unexposed improvers, and individuals who have questions to answer on the back of a disappointing display last time out, but had previously looked in rude health. It’s that type of conundrum for punters, and one where you can make a case for a few. I am going ‘two versus the field’ in this encounter, and will give another chance to TEKAO to bounce back to winning ways.
The 4-year-old was successful at Leopardstown earlier in the year, and was strongly fancied to deliver at the Cheltenham Festival, when sent off 3/1 favourite to land the Boodles Handicap Hurdle. However, the gelding failed to deliver, trailing home 19th of the 21 runners who went to post. However, it doesn’t tell the full story, as Tekao was travelling powerfully approaching three flights from home, but made an absolute mess of the Hurdle, and that put pay to all his chances. Mark Walsh eased right off him in the aftermath and he was allowed to come home in his own time. With a clear round here, he has to be taken seriously off his Irish mark of 140.
The performance of PATH D’OROUX in the County Hurdle was too bad to be true. Gavin Cromwell’s charge was pulled-up and was beaten so far out, you can’t really take that run on face value. His form previously suggested he would have been more than capable of landing a blow on Handicap debut, and gets a second bite of the cherry here.
At a double figure price I am prepared to roll the dice once more, and off a revised mark of 137 he can get in the mix with Keith Donoghue taking the ride in a race which doesn’t look as fierce as the one he contested at Prestbury Park last month.
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5.25 Energumene to beat Gentleman de Mee (Forecast)
This could end up being a fairly straight-forward task for Willie Mullins to clean up – after all he holds four of the six entries. ENERGUMENE arrives here on the back of winning his second Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and has it in the locker to outclass everyone once again in this scenario and his price reflects that.
He proved he handled much quicker ground when bolting up in this race 12 months ago, and it is hard to pick many holes in him. For the forecast play I will be looking at GENTLEMAN DE MEE to follow home his more illustrious stablemate. The 7-year-old comes alive in the spring, and arrives here a fresh horse after a small infection kept him out of the Cheltenham Festival. He is no back-number with Mark Walsh doing the steering.
6.35 Journey With Me
This is a race which sees some horses with lofty reputations that have started to unravel, and will be looking to get them put right here. Sir Gerhard hasn’t always convinced in his three starts over fences and will be looking to get everything to click when it matters. He doesn’t have a great record at this meeting so the question marks remain.
The same could be said of Appreciate It – the 9-year-old has lost his last three starts over fences, albeit at Grade 1 level, and this former Supreme winner will be looking to find improvement now stepping up to 3m for the first time under rules. With all that in mind, the most solid proposition looks to be the Henry De Bromhead JOURNEY WITH ME, who should be fresher than most of his rivals, having swerved the likes of Cheltenham and Fairyhouse.
A winner of a Grade 3 at Naas last month, he comes here with major claims, and has shaped as though he should thrive stepping up in trip to 3m for the first time over fences. The 7-year-old has had a relatively light campaign and can land the honours with Rachael Blackmore taking the ride.
Don’t forget Ed will be previewing all five days of the Punchestown Festival and providing his best bets here for talkSPORT.
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