Donn McClean: Punchestown Festival Day 4 Banker, Next Best And Each-Way Bets
Racing TV pundit Donn McClean is at the heart of the action for The Panel on the fourth and penultimate day of the Punchestown Festival.
On Wednesday, his banker Banker Gaelic Warrior won at 5/6 (Bet365 was offering 6/4 as a superboost), Nouvotic was first past the post at 7/1 and each-way selection Toll Stone finished 3rd at 16/1.
Donn has three more selections from County Kildare on Friday: a banker, a next best and one each-way tip.
Check out his selections below, and use recommended betting sites to ensure you get the best odds.
Donn McClean's Punchestown Tips: Day 3 (Friday)
Banker: 18:00 Punchestown - King Rasko Grey
King Rasko Grey is short, but he is the most likely winner of the Grade 1 Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle by a fair way.
Second to last month's Irish Grand National winner Soldier In Milan in a bumper at this meeting last year, Willie Mullins’ horse was impressive in winning his maiden on his hurdling bow at Limerick over Christmas, when he beat the Champion Bumper third Shuttle Diplomacy by almost three lengths.
A close-up third behind Talk The Talk and Ballyfad in the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival in February, before which he was weak in the market, he was weak in the market again before the Baring Bingham Novice Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
The choice of Paul Townend, he was nevertheless allowed to go off at 11/1, only third best of the six Mullins-trained horses in the race, according to the market.
He was best though, and by a fair way. He came away from his closest pursuer on the run-in to win by two and a half lengths.
The Baring Bingham looked like a warm race beforehand, and already it is working out well.
The third horse Zeus Power has since won the Grade 1 Sefton Hurdle at Aintree, while Bossman Jack, Soldier Reeves and Ballyfad finished first, second and third in the Grade 1 Mersey Hurdle.
Hurricane Pat won at Chepstow next time, and No Drama This End won a listed hurdle at Perth.
This year’s Baring Bingham Hurdle at Cheltenham could have reverberations throughout next season and beyond but, in the shorter term, the winner of the race could follow up here.
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Next Best: 16:50 Punchestown - Only By Night
Dinoblue is a superstar. She has won six of her last seven races, won this race last year and the last two renewals of the Mares’ Chase at Cheltenham.
She is the highest rated mare in this race, and she is the logical favourite.
That said, Only By Night got to within less than two lengths of Dinoblue in the Mares’ Chase at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, and there are reasons for believing that she can get closer still here.
Gavin Cromwell’s mare was racing over two and a half miles for the first time at Cheltenham, and she was ridden accordingly by Keith Donoghue, back in the field and settled.
She settled well too, jumping superbly and staying on strongly up the hill to close on Dinoblue all the way to the line.
It never really looked like she was going to get to Mullins’ mare, but there was a lot to like about the manner in which she finished out her race.
It was a career-best performance, on goodish ground, over the longest distance over which she had ever raced under Rules.
A point-to-point winner, connections can be more aggressive on her today if they want, confident that she stays the trip well.
An eight-year-old who has raced just eight times over fences, she is unexposed over this intermediate trip.
She had the pace to get to within three parts of a length of Gold Cup runner-up Jango Baie in the Arkle last season and there could be more to come from her now over this trip.
Best Each-Way: 17:25 Punchestown - Ballygunner Castle
Ballygunner Castle has yet to win over fences, but he has run just three times over the larger obstacles and there could be more to come from him.
Second to Kurasso Blue in a beginners’ chase at Punchestown in December on his chasing bow, he was travelling well in the beginners’ chase that his stable companion Argento Boy won at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve when he came down at the fourth last fence.
The winner went on to win a Grade 3 chase next time and finished fourth in the Irish Grand National. He is now rated 143.
Ballygunner Castle gets to race today off a mark of 138, in his first handicap.
He ran well last time, too, when he finished second behind another stable companion in Spread Boss Ted at Naas in early March.
That was his first run in over two months, and he rallied well after he was passed, with the pair of them finishing well clear of another stable companion in Supersundae, who was impressive in winning his own beginners’ chase at Kilbeggan there last week.
Ballygunner Castle stays three miles, but his best form is probably over this intermediate trip. He goes well on soft ground, but he can operate on yielding ground too and, the mount of Danny Mullins, he could go well in a good each-way race.
Ballygunner Castle can be backed at 10/1 on several betting apps.
