Punchestown Festival: Five Clashes To Look Forward To
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Racing journalist Gavin Beech looks ahead to the most anticipated battles at the 2022 Punchestown Festival.
Chacun Pour Soi vs Energumene - William Hill Champion Chase (5:25 Tuesday)
Five runners go to post for Tuesday’s Grade 1 William Hill Champion Chase but barring accidents, the opening day feature should turn into a shoot-out between the best two-mile chasers in Willie Mullins’ stable.
Chacun Pour Soi has yet to taste defeat at Punchestown and he could hardly have been more impressive in winning this race by five-and-a-half lengths 12 months ago.
Chacun parted company with Patrick Mullins too far out for us to have any real idea of how he would have fared in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, but it at least meant that he didn’t have as hard a race as he would have done and we know he’s a better horse at home anyway.
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However, the ten-year-old will need to be at his best if he is to repel younger stablemate Energumene, who ran away with the Cheltenham Festival contest in utterly emphatic style.
Ridden much more patiently then when nailed late on by Shishkin at Ascot previously, Energumene travelled and jumped like the best horse throughout that showpiece contest although his task was obviously made easier by the dismal performance of short-priced favourite Shishkin.
Much of the intrigue around this particular match-up revolves around race tactics and how Paul Townend will ride Energumene. It is likely that he’ll again play the stalking role, with Chacun going about his business on the front end, so it will boil down to whether the reigning champ can hold off his younger rival from the home turn.
Official ratings tell us that there is only 1lb between the pair and this really could go either way.
The Nice Guy vs Minella Cocooner - Irish Mirror Novice Hurdle (5:20 Wednesday)
The first two home in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle will return to the ring in Wednesday’s Grade 1 Irish Mirror Novice Hurdle and it is interesting that there isn’t much between them in the market given The Nice Guy won that Cheltenham Festival contest by a commanding five lengths.
The reason for that is The Nice Guy enjoyed a much more convenient trip than Minella Cocooner, who raced closer to the strong gallop than the eventual winner. The runner-up didn’t help his cause by racing quite keenly early on and a stumble at the 8th hurdle cost him momentum.
Contrast that to The Nice Guy who settled well in midfield early on and he enjoyed a fairly trouble-free passage bar having to switch around the runner up approaching the last. The five-year-old had much more in the tank coming up the hill than his rival but, given the way the race was run, he was entitled to have.
The Nice Guy is now 4-4 under rules and a horse firmly on the up but he has a long way to go if he’s to emulate stablemate Galopin Des Champs, who bolted up to the tune of 12 lengths in this race last year.
Don’t be surprised if Minella Cocooner makes more of a race of it this time.
Klassical Dream vs Paisley Park - Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle (5:25 Thursday)
Klassical Dream’s nine-length romp in this race last year will live long in the memory and if he turns up in that form, this is an open-and-shut case.
The problem with Klassical Dream is that, for all of his talent, he is becoming unreliable. There appeared to be no excuses for his Gowran Park defeat in January and he didn’t look mad keen on even taking part at Cheltenham before consenting to race.
The problem then was that, because of his headstrong tendencies, racing at the back of the field doesn’t really work and it was no surprise that there was nothing in the tank when push came to shove late on.
If he can find a position near the front then there is no doubt that he could take some stopping, but this looks sure to be run at a decent pace and that will suit English raider Paisley Park who shouldn’t be underestimated here.
His age will put many off but two of the last three winners of this race have been aged 10 and 11, and it’s not as if Paisley Park doesn’t have a sound form chance anyway given he stayed on strongly to finish less than three lengths behind Flooring Porter in the Stayers’ Hurdle.
His Ascot form confirms that he’ll be fine going right-handed and several of his wins have come on a sound surface. His customary late charge might just be the undoing of Klassical Dream.
State Man vs Kilcruit - Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle (6:00 Friday)
State Man looked better than a handicapper when coming home strongly to land the County Hurdle at Cheltenham but there is no room for error now pitched into a Grade 1 and his ante-post odds (best price even money) look on the skinny side.
The way State Man finished that festival contest strongly suggests he’ll relish the step up to two-and-a-half miles and Willie Mullins has won this race five times since 2013, but State Man isn’t his only horse from his Closutton stable with a big chance.
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Kilcruit shouldn’t be underestimated at a track he is unbeaten (2-2). He couldn’t get near Constitution Hill in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle but he didn’t help his cause with some far from fluent jumping.
He was probably taken out of his comfort zone in the hurly-burly of that strongly run contest so the return to this trip might just be exactly what he needs and it shouldn’t be forgotten that he was imperious in the Grade 1 bumper at this meeting last year.
A peak-form Kilruit will surely be able to make a race of it with State Man.
Marie’s Rock vs Telmesomethinggirl - Coolmore Kew Gardens Irish EBF Mares Champion Hurdle (3:50 Saturday)
The landscape of this race would change if Epatante was allowed to take her chance but that looks unlikely.
Nicky Henderson may well strike anyway with Mares’ Hurdle winner Marie’s Rock who is in the form of her life but the result of that Cheltenham Festival contest might have been very different had Telmesomethinggirl not been brought down when still moving well two-out.
Stamina appeared to run out when Henry De Bromhead’s mare was pitched in against the boys in the three-mile novices’ hurdle at this meeting last year, but however there will be no such excuses back against her own sex and over an ideal trip this time.
Marie’s Rock holds the edge on official figures but this looks a fascinating match-up and it would be no surprise if Telmesomethinggirl finally got her hands on a Grade 1 prize.
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