Donn McClean: Punchestown Festival Day 5 Banker, Next Best And Each-Way Bets
Racing TV pundit Donn McClean is at the heart of the action for The Panel on the fifth and final day of the Punchestown Festival.
On Wednesday, his 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 had three more selections from County Kildare on Friday, where the banker landed again when King Rasko Grey backed up his win at Cheltenham in the Punchestown Champion Novice Hurdle.
With the Festival winding down, you can check out his selections below, and use our recommended betting sites to ensure you get the best odds.
Donn McClean's Punchestown Tips: Day 5 (Saturday)
Banker: 16:15 Punchestown - Wodhooh
Wodhooh is just a remarkable mare.
She has run 11 times over hurdles for Gordon Elliott and won 10. Her only defeat came in the Aintree Hurdle last year, when she gave the peerless Lossiemouth a real race before just giving best close home.
The Sundowners Partnership’s mare won the Martin Pipe Hurdle at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, the Grade 2 Ascot Hurdle last November, and the Grade 3 mares’ hurdle at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival.
Sent off at a shade of odds-on for the Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in March, she went on to win that too.
She can race lazily through her races; she can give her rivals hope, but that’s just her.
She just finds as much as she needs. Jade De Grugy closed to within a length of her at Cheltenham, and you can construct the case that suggests that Willie Mullins’ mare could get closer today, but you suspect that, if Jade De Grugy had found that length, Wodhooh would have found another one.
It should be another good race between the two of them today, but it is probable that Wodhooh will come out on top again.
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Next Best: 16:55 Punchestown - Saratoga
Saratoga was impressive in winning the Fred Winter Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, and there is every chance that he will be able to step up into Grade 1 company today.
A 92-rated horse on the flat for Aidan O’Brien, JP McManus’ horse has progressed nicely this season over hurdles for Padraig Roche, and he put up the best performance of his career over hurdles to date when he won the Fred Winter.
He was impressive in winning, too, despite his weakness in the market beforehand.
The handicapper raised him 10lb to a mark of 140 after that, leaving him just 6lb below Apolon De Charnie.
Mullins’ horse is the standard-setter; he was a good winner of the Triumph Hurdle, and that was just his second run over hurdles, but there is every chance that Saratoga will improve again now.
Best Each-Way: 17:30 Punchestown - Storm Heart
It is not surprising that Jump Allen is all the rage here.
Mullins’ horse was one of the unluckiest losers at Cheltenham; he had no luck in-running in the Martin Pipe Hurdle, and he finished off his race strongly.
But everybody saw that, and there was always a chance that he would be overbet in his next race.
That is accentuated by the fact that he is Paul Townend's choice and is short in the market.
His stable companion Storm Heart has threatened to win a big handicap hurdle for a while now.
A running-on second to McLaurey in the big two-mile handicap hurdle at the 2025 Dublin Racing Festival, the Gigginstown House horse did well to win the Grade 3 Red Mills Hurdle at Gowran Park in February over an inadequate two miles.
He stepped forward from that in the BetMGM Cup at the Cheltenham Festival when he stayed on well to take third place behind Jingko Blue, who made just about all the running.
Third behind Slade Steel and Kawaboomga in a Grade 2 contest at Fairyhouse last time, he should appreciate the drop back into handicap company today, and, with Sean Cleary-Farrell taking off a valuable 7lb, he could go well in a good each-way race.
Storm Heart can be backed at 9/1 on most betting apps.
