19:05 Punchestown

Friday 3 May 2024

All15:4016:1516:5017:2518:0018:3519:0519:40

Uniquely Novice Hurdle

Off time: 19:08 | Winning time: 4m 15.1s

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Selected odds by:

Anotherway³³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: Paul Townend| T: W P Mullins| CD

11/8

Promising type. One win from 3 runs last season. 4/1, running well when falling in Easter Festival Novices' Hurdle at Fairyhouse (20f, heavy) 33 days ago. Paul Townend's pick of the Willie Mullins-trained trio. Big player.

Form: 01F

Ataboycharlie³³

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: Kieren Buckley| T: E Cawley| OR: 123| D

25/1

Fairly useful hurdler. Winner in hurdle at Leopardstown in December. 23 lengths seventh of 8 to Mirazur West in Hardy Eustace Novices' Hurdle at Fairyhouse (16f, heavy, 12/1) 33 days ago.

Form: 2771F7

Billericay Dickie^t¹³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: D E Mullins| T: W P Mullins| C

6/1

Promising type. 4/1 and tongue strap on for 1st time in this code, fifth of 6 in novice hurdle at Ayr (20.4f, good to soft) 13 days ago. Down in trip and open to progress.

Form: 15

Montecam¹⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: N de Boinville| T: N J Henderson| OR: 121

12/1

Lightly-raced winner under Rules. Didn't need to improve to win 10-runner novice hurdle (2/5) at Hereford (19.7f, good) 19 days ago, readily. Yard has saddled the winner of this race a few times over the years.

Form: 6-4231

Rainbow Trail⁴¹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: Jack Kennedy| T: G Elliott| OR: 125| D

15/2

Lightly-raced winner under Rules. Career best when winning 16-runner novice hurdle at Navan (15.7f, heavy, 8/15) 41 days ago, staying on well. Should progress.

Form: 2-1721

Silver King^h,t³³

Age: 8| Weight: 11-12| J: Phillip Enright| T: O McKiernan| OR: 115| C

80/1

Fairly useful hurdler. Course winner. Winner in hurdle here in January. 8/1, last of 16 in handicap hurdle at Fairyhouse (20f, heavy) 33 days ago. Plenty to find on form.

Form: 45U120

Tounsivator^h1³³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: Sean O'Keeffe| T: W P Mullins| D

16/1

Twice-raced winner over hurdles. 16 lengths sixth of 8 to Mirazur West in Hardy Eustace Novices' Hurdle at Fairyhouse (16f, heavy, 3/1) 33 days ago. Hood on 1st time. Should improve.

Form: 16

Eagle Fang⁵²

Age: 4| Weight: 11-6| J: O R Brown⁽⁵⁾| T: W Durkan| OR: 124| D

22/1

Fairly useful hurdler. Winner at Naas in February. Below form well-beaten twelfth of 22 to Lark In The Mornin in juvenile hurdle at Cheltenham (16.4f, heavy, 10/1) 52 days ago.

Form: 223010

Mighty Bandit⁴⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-6| J: J Bowen| T: W Greatrex| OR: 132| C

25/1

Thrice-raced winner over hurdles. First run since leaving Gordon Elliott when 28/1, pulled up in Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham (16.8f, heavy) 49 days ago, pulled up last.

Form: 19P

Arctic Gale²⁰⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: Donagh Meyler| T: E Mullins| D

16/1

Twice-raced winner in bumpers. One win from 2 runs last season. Fairly useful winner at 16f in bumpers. Won 8-runner bumper at Fairyhouse (16f, soft, 4/11). Off 6 months. Makes hurdles debut.

Form: 21

Ascending^t1⁸²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: Rachael Blackmore| T: H De Bromhead| OR: 131| BF

11/2

Fairly useful hurdler. 4/5, bit below form fifth of 14 in novice hurdle at Navan (15.7f, heavy) 82 days ago. Tongue strap on 1st time.

Form: 245-335

Fenway Park¹⁰⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: Sean Flanagan| T: G P Cromwell

20/1

Lightly-raced maiden under Rules. 11/2, lame when pulled up in novice hurdle at Navan (20f, heavy) 104 days ago, pulled up before last.

Form: 7-32P

Scriabin^t1¹⁵⁰

Age: 4| Weight: 10-13| J: M J M O'Sullivan| T: P Griffin

200/1

Modest hurdler. 9/1, third of 12 in juvenile hurdle at Fontainebleau (17.6f, heavy) 150 days ago. First run for yard after leaving N. Bellanger. Wears tongue strap. Easy to look elsewhere.

Form: 3

Ballycashin^h⁶⁰

Age: 7| Weight: 10-12| J: Conor Clarke⁽⁷⁾| T: A Mullins| OR: 101| D

100/1

Fair hurdler. Remains a maiden after 12 hurdle runs. Twelve runs since last win in 2022. Below form seventh of 12 in handicap hurdle at Leopardstown (20f, heavy, 9/2) 60 days ago.

Form: 74P557

Non-Runners

Lark In The Mornin⁵²

Weight: 11-6| Age: 4

T: J P O'Brien J: J J Slevin

Forecasts

Anotherway (11/8), Lark In The Mornin (9/2), Ascending (11/2), Billericay Dickie (6/1), Rainbow Trail (15/2), Montecam (12/1), Tounsivator (16/1), Arctic Gale (16/1), Fenway Park (20/1), Eagle Fang (22/1), Ataboycharlie (25/1), Mighty Bandit (25/1), Silver King (80/1), Ballycashin (100/1), Scriabin (200/1)

LARK IN THE MORNIN was pretty impressive in the Fred Winter at the Cheltenham Festival and, with the promise of better to come from this 4-y-o, he is taken to follow up here. The main danger is clearly Anotherway, who landed a C&D maiden in good style here in January and he was bang there when exiting at the second-last in a Grade 2 contest at Fairyhouse next time. His stablemate Billericay Dickie and Tounsivator are both open to improvement, a remark which also applies to Rainbow Trail.