14:05 Punchestown

Sunday 30 May 2021

All13:3014:0514:4015:1515:5016:2517:0017:30

Ladbrokes Handicap Chase

Off time: 14:05 | Winning time: 5m 17.5s

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Selected odds by:

Dame De Compagnie^h⁷⁵

Age: 8| Weight: 11-10| J: M P Walsh| T: N J Henderson| OR: 145| D

7/2

Promising type. One win from 3 runs last season. Switches from hurdles to chase. Stable in good form. Booking of Walsh a plus. Makes handicap chase debut. Not taken lightly.

Form: 511/1U9-

Us And Them^b,t⁴²

Age: 8| Weight: 11-8| J: J J Slevin| T: J P O'Brien| OR: 143| C

16/1

Seventeen runs since last win in 2018. 13/2, creditable second of 5 in minor event chase at Tramore (21.6f, good to soft) 42 days ago. Needs a couple of these to falter.

Form: 08F702-

Pont Aven³²

Age: 8| Weight: 11-5| J: A W Short| T: W P Mullins| OR: 140

5/1

Eleven runs since last win in 2019. 40/1, good second of 24 in handicap chase at this C&D (good to soft) 32 days ago, outbattled. Should go well again.

Form: 942PP2-

The West's Awake^b,t³²

Age: 10| Weight: 11-5| J: D J O'Keeffe| T: E J O'Grady| OR: 140| CD

9/1

C&D winner. 66/1, bit below form ninth of 24 in handicap chase at this C&D (good to soft) 32 days ago. Can give a good account without posing serious threat to principals.

Form: P/34479-

Mount Pelier^t1⁵⁶¹

Age: 8| Weight: 11-3| J: M J Bolger| T: B Connell| OR: 138

14/1

Off 18 months. Up in trip. First run for yard after leaving Keith Henry Clarke. Tongue strap on 1st time. Makes handicap chase debut. Tough to assess at present.

Form: 762113/

Somptueux⁴⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 11-2| J: Rachael Blackmore| T: H De Bromhead| OR: 137| D

13/2

Three wins from 6 runs last season. 5/1, career best when winning 6-runner minor event chase at Fairyhouse (21.2f, good to soft) 47 days ago. Makes handicap chase debut. Something to find on form.

Form: 152141-

Optical Confusion^t⁵

Age: 9| Weight: 10-2| J: L P Dempsey| T: M Butler| OR: 123| D

13/2

Latest win in chase at Ballinrobe in May. 11/2, unseated rider in handicap chase at Ballinrobe (23f, heavy) 5 days ago. Enters calculations.

Form: 0021-1U

Powersbomb^t²⁶

Age: 11| Weight: 10-2| J: P T Enright| T: B McMahon| OR: 123| D

14/1

Twelve runs since last win in 2019. Respectable 12½ lengths third of 14 to Optical Confusion in handicap chase (14/1) at Ballinrobe (19.5f, soft) 26 days ago.

Form: 58648-3

Konitho^t¹⁸⁹

Age: 6| Weight: 10-1| J: S D Torrens⁽³⁾| T: J P O'Brien| OR: 122

8/1

Fairly useful winner at 16f over hurdles. 9/2, seventh of 11 in handicap chase at Cork (16.7f, heavy), finding little. Off 6 months. Tongue strap back on. Not easy to make a case for.

Form: 7/623P7-

Flirting Lesa³⁰

Age: 10| Weight: 9-12| J: J C Gainford⁽⁷⁾| T: P J Hayes| OR: 118| CD

9/1

C&D winner. Good 8½ lengths fourth of 13 to Rapid Response in handicap chase at this course (21f, good to soft, 150/1) 30 days ago.

Form: 2/P1464-

Non-Runners

Rapid Response³⁰

Weight: 10-13| Age: 7

T: Mrs J Harrington J: R M Power

Jerandme²⁹

Weight: 10-5| Age: 7

T: N Meade J: S W Flanagan

Kildorrery¹

Weight: 10-5| Age: 8

T: T M Walsh J: S O'Callaghan

Forecasts

Dame De Compagnie (7/2), Pont Aven (5/1), Somptueux (13/2), Optical Confusion (13/2), Rapid Response (7/1), Konitho (8/1), The West's Awake (9/1), Flirting Lesa (9/1), Jerandme (10/1), Kildorrery (12/1), Powersbomb (14/1), Mount Pelier (14/1), Us And Them (16/1)

This good-quality handicap may go to British raider DAME DE COMPAGNIE, who failed to fire over hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival but she looked a natural over fences when making a winning chase debut at Ayr in January and is open to improvement in this sphere. Jerandme was a good fourth off this mark over 24.6f here last time and he is feared, along with the Willie Mullins-trained Pont Aven.