Marine Nationale is being tipped to deliver a powerful performance on day one of the Punchestown Festival, with the nine-year-old set to defend his crown in the William Hill Champion Chase. The Barry Connell-trained gelding, who missed Cheltenham this season, has had just two runs this term and is known to relish quick ground — conditions that look likely this week. A recent visit to Connell’s yard left one prominent racing analyst convinced the horse “looks fantastic”, and despite a defeat when last seen, the feeling is that better ground and a fresher profile could see him reverse that form.
The Champion Chase, run at 6.05pm on Tuesday, is the feature race of the opening day and has attracted a field dominated by Willie Mullins, who saddles four of the five declared runners. Majborough, who beat Marine Nationale earlier in the year, lines up for Mullins alongside Il Etait Temps, the winner of the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham in March. That victory at Prestbury Park, however, came in the absence of Marine Nationale and with an underperforming Majborough, leaving questions over the strength of the form. The analyst argued that on better ground, Marine Nationale can turn the tables on Majborough, adding that Il Etait Temps “was good at Cheltenham but he was good in the absence of Marine”.
The one note of caution is the application of cheek-pieces for the first time. The tipster admitted it represented “a little bit of a question mark”, but the overall assessment remains bullish. Barry Connell, who owns and trains Marine Nationale, is regarded as the only trainer with a realistic chance of beating Willie Mullins in this race, given Mullins fields the overwhelming majority of the field.
Grade One supporting cast
The Dooley Insurance Champion Novice Chase, a Grade One over three miles at 4.50pm, is the second top-level contest on the card. Here the spotlight falls on Kitzbuhel, a six-year-old trained by Willie Mullins who landed the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham in March. According to the analysis, Kitzbuhel is the horse most likely to be a contender for next year’s Gold Cup. He jumps to his right, making a right-handed track like Punchestown ideal, is tactically versatile and possesses stamina in abundance. The race is described as “made for Kitzbuhel”, and he can cap a strong season with a third Grade One victory.
The other Grade One on Tuesday is the PRL Champion Novice Hurdle over two miles at 4.15pm. Here the selection is Sober, another from the Willie Mullins yard. Sober was disappointing at Cheltenham but the drop back to two miles is expected to suit him. He was a winner at Royal Ascot last June and also scored at Punchestown in January, and the analyst believes things simply did not fall right for him at Cheltenham. The smaller field is seen as an advantage for a horse who can be keen, and with Paul Townend taking the ride, Sober is fancied to out-speed the National Hunt horses over the minimum trip.
Handicaps and cross-country
Outside the Graded races, the Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle over two miles at 3.40pm offers an interesting contender in Jet To Monte Carlo. The five-year-old, trained by Emmett Mullins and owned by Paul Byrne, won impressively at Fairyhouse at Easter and has been raised 9lb as a result. He still carries a light weight and is partnered by Conor Stone-Walsh at 10 stone. The tipster noted that the combination of owner and trainer previously teamed up to win the Irish Grand National, and that Jet To Monte Carlo is “still on the improve” with more to come from his facile Fairyhouse success.
The Albert Bartlett Series Final Handicap Hurdle at 3.05pm is the other handicap on the card. Here the each-way recommendation is Matt Connor, a six-year-old son of Teofilo out of a Dubawi mare, bred for the flat and therefore unlikely to mind quick ground. He won on the flat at Gowran Park earlier this month and had previously scored over hurdles at Naas. Despite an 11lb rise in the handicap, his upward trajectory suggests he still has more to offer, and should have the pace to cope if the race becomes a test of speed.
The opening race of the day is a cross-country event, the Kildare Hunt Club Chase for the Ladies Cup. Fountain House is considered very hard to oppose, having won his last three point-to-points and having finished second in this race before. He wears cheek-pieces for the first time and faces rivals who are described as “completely out of form”, with the tipster adding that he relishes the track and trip and is in the form of his life.
For the two bumper races on the card, the advice is to take a watching brief, as most of the runners are making their racecourse debuts with little form to assess. The overall verdict, however, is that the week has started on a strong note with a number of confident selections across the card.
