Punchestown Festival 2023 Day 1 Tips: A trio to back as festivities begin
The annual wrapping up of the Jumps season takes place at Punchestown this week with the Festival bringing together some high class animals one las time before their summer breaks or retirement beckons. Ominously for all other trainers, Willie Mullins looks to have as strong a hand as he ever has and this week he will be aiming to smash records for the most wins at the Festival ever. Here we take a look through Day One's card and give our three best bets...
We are going to begin Punchestown with a tip that requires a fair leap of faith. Willie Mullins is used to scooping the Mares' Novices' race at Cheltenham but had to watch on as You Wear It Well powered to glory and the best of his group finished way back in 12th. That horse was NIKINI, and she ran no sort of race in truth at Prestbury Park with Patrick Mullins in a battle with her from the word go.
She never looked happy both at the track or on the ground, but any horse can underperform at Cheltenham regardless (especially a novice) so I am willing to take a chance she enjoys herself much more on a slightly better surface and the other way round back on home soil. Her wins earlier in the season read well now, as does her length second to Magical Zoe from Down Royal in November. The favourite for this race looks to be Shecouldbeanything who was well ahead of Nikini at Cheltenham, but team Mullins will be eager to get their Festival off to a flier with a win in this opener.
Night and Day may well be the Closutton first string, she is the chosen mount of Paul Townend after all, but I really didn't like her performance last time out when pulled up behind Ashroe Diamond. I think Nikini is the better horse and can make amends for her Cheltenham blip with a big run here.
No bet to be had in the first couple of races, although Facile Vega at 4/7 doesn't actually look too bad a price to confirm placings with stablemates Diverge and Il Etait Temps from the red-hot Supreme. He tried and failed to go with the winner Marine Nationale but was comfortably the second best horse in the race and should claim the prize in the 16:15. Prices like that don't get the punting pulses racing, however, and so it is onto this handicap for our first bet and we are siding with a Gordon Elliott charge to win again in handicap company.
FILS D'OUDAIRIES is a horse I've liked for some time, indeed from back in his days at Seven Barrows, and although he took a while to put everything together once moving over to Gordon Elliott he showed the ability remained with a good win at Leopardstown a month ago. He wasn't quite as good when fourth last time out but he does seem to improve this time of year and although he is noted down to carry 11st12, he will have the impressive 7lbs claimed Danny Gilligan in the saddle and that is a huge positive.
He has been busy this season but ran well at both Aintree (behind what we now know is a very smart horse in Langer Dan) and the Punchestown Festival of 2022. He can go one better this year and at tasty looking odds he is a confident each-way play providing he is on song.
Energumene should complete the Cheltenham-Punchestown double for the second consecutive season in the Grade 1 feature race of the day, but at 1/3 he isn't much of a betting proposition. The race following the Champion Chase, however, is much more like it from a punting perspective and I think the market has called this one spot on.
Both Sir Gerhard and Appreciate It looked top class over hurdles for Willie Mullins, but have then become fragile and/or disappointing since heading over fences. That may be unfair particularly to Sir Gerhard, however they certainly haven't hit their potential and seem to be in the experimental category for the master trainer when it comes to their best trip. I'm not convinced Sir Gerhard wants three miles (his run at Cheltenham in the Brown Advisory was promising until the gas tank ran out at about 2m5f), while Appreciate It simply looks a spent force compared to his stunning Supreme win.
The favourite for this race is JOURNEY WITH ME for Henry De Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore. He was no match for Sir Gerhard when they clashed over hurdles in the 2022 Ballymore but fences were always bound to be his game and he has looked a brilliant staying chaser in the making this season so far. This first attempt at three miles should be perfect and I think in a field of questionable rivals he is a good bet at just short of 3/1 to land a Grade 1 on Day 1.
