Top Betting Tips Ahead Of Day One Of The Punchestown Festival

Where Britain has Cheltenham, Ireland has Punchestown and five days of fantastic racing lies in wait at the home of Irish jumps racing.

Willie Mullins once again looks set to take the lion’s share of the prizes with his dominance of the entries in the grade one contests, with Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs set to feature on Wednesday’s card in the Punchestown version.

All eyes will be on Facile Vega after his Supreme Novice Hurdle reverse where a final flight blunder cost him a few lengths, but it didn’t cost him victory as Marine Nationale was always going past. 

Less than three lengths back in third tough was stablemate DIVERGE on just his fourth hurdle start and at the prices, he may be worth siding with to turn that form around. He wasn’t losing any ground on Facile Vega on the run-in at Cheltenham and his flat speed could come in handy in a small field with only Found A Fifty previously known to make the running. I doubt they will let Facile Vega make it after the Dublin Racing Festival disaster and should this become a sprint, Diverge may be better suited.

BRAZIL did us a huge favour at last year’s Cheltenham Festival when just accounting for Gaelic Warrior in the Fred Winter. He has acquitted himself well in graded company since and the match race at Limerick over Christmas in which he was beaten would not have seen him in his best light. He has had a pipe opener on the flat three weeks ago which wasn’t devoid of promise and is the choice of Mark Walsh from four JP McManus runners. Keep the faith.

Willie Mullins dominates the entries for the Champion Novice Chase, saddling four of the six runners, although he doesn’t saddle the likely favourite as Journey With Me looks set to head the market having missed the other spring festivals and arrives a fresh horse. 

He won’t be as fresh though as CLASSIC GETAWAY who has only been seen once this season, winning at Gowran Park in November. He had Journey With Me covered when that one departed two fences out and went on to score comfortably from two stable mates. (Kim Muir winner Angels Dawn was thirty lengths back in fourth). He was a wide margin point to point winner and was third at last year’s Punchestown Festival proving he handles better ground. He appears to be the forgotten horse and has lots of untapped potential while the others have been having hard races at Cheltenham and Fairyhouse.