A fabulous eight races will take place on day two of the Punchestown Festival on Wednesday 30th April, 2025 and the feature race of the day is undoubtedly the Punchestown Gold Cup as Galopin Des Champs aims to bounce back from Cheltenham despair. Our in-house tipster Steve Chambers previews the action and picks out his best bets across the card…
2:30pm Punchestown – Adare Manor Opportunity Series Final Handicap Hurdle
A hugely competitive 2m 3f 58y contest kicks off the afternoon on Wednesday and it’s sure to be a sparkling betting heat for punters to try and work out, but this contest could go the way of a JP McManus-owned contender in the shape of IN FOR THE NIGHT. The likes of Thanksforthehelp and Fred Winter ninth Beyond Your Dreams will carry the green and gold silks, but In For The Night could well be the one to side with.
The seven-year-old finally got his act together last time out when winning at Naas and that could be the trigger to ignite more success here. He’s been given a 7lbs rise for that win and he heads into a tougher contest here, but if he can kick on from that effort over a slightly longer trip (won over 2m 2f 180y last time) then the Desmond McDonogh-trained raider can land this prize at a decent price.
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4:15pm Punchestown – Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle
Fresh from claiming Grade 1 glory in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, Jasmin De Vaux will look to follow up in the first Grade 1 of the day and he’s likely to be sent off a short price for the 4:15pm. While he was brilliant at Cheltenham, he failed to follow having won the Champion Bumper last year when finishing way down the field in the Punchestown bumper, so he could be worth taking on with a value alternative here.
Gordon Elliott’s FAMILIAR DREAMS was quietly fancied for the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree last month, but could only finish fifth. She’s certainly better than that and showed when winning at Punchestown in February and Limerick in March that she does hold a high level a form and a return to Punchestown could see her bounce back.
6:05pm Punchestown – Colm Quinn BMW Handicap Chase
Henry De Bromhead’s Lets Go Champ won this race 12 months ago, but the ten-year-old is 8lbs higher this time around, so looks to face an uphill battle to land this prize for a second year in a row. The Willie Mullins-trained Blue Lord is the proven class act in the race alongside stablemate James Du Berlais, but the top two in the handicap face a stiff ask off a heavyweight and often find it difficult to get their head in front.
Another frustrating performer in recent seasons has been SO SCOTTISH, but the Emmet Mullins-trained eight-year-old has been given a chance by the handicapper having been dropped 4lbs following a disappointing run in the Grand Annual at Cheltenham, where he finished 13th of 20. He’s since struggled on the Flat in two runs, but a return to the chasing sphere could see him spring back to life and he’s worth a speculative punt on with Aidan Kelly taking 5lbs off his back as well.
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