DAVY RUSSELL: Punchestown Festival Tuesday

I must start this blog by offering my deepest sympathies to the Seven Barrows team regarding the awfully sad news about Shishkin, writes DAVY RUSSELL.

The horse was sadly cast in his box and it’s a real shame. He was a talented hurdler, a talented chaser and he did it at the very top table. He was unlucky not to win a King George. He scaled real heights and it’s a big loss for the yard and the Donnelly family who owned him.

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TUESDAY

PUNCHESTOWN

You don’t realise what the Punchestown Festival is about unless you experience it. The whole county of Kildare stops! The schools close, the kids come to enjoy it and it’s a great week and a wonderful way to showcase our industry over here, enjoyed by the length and breadth of the country.

There’re always big crowds and hopefully the sun will shine to give us some great racing. It’s fantastic to see an English challenge coming over here in some shape or form. We need it and it adds to our industry and festival.

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3.40pm KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m½f
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Slade Steel was great in the Supreme at Cheltenham and Mystical Power bounced back by winning at Aintree. I think that ASIAN MASTER at a big price of ? has a great chance. He’s ridden by an amateur but one who has been on the horse throughout his career and they actually own the horse. He’s the grandson of the great Tom Costello who bought a load of Gold Cup horses and was beaten only 5 lengths at Cheltenham and might just be the each way value in the race as it’s hard to separate those at the top of the market.

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5.25pm William Hill Champion Chase (Grade 1) 2m½f
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Next up is the Champion Chase and Captain Guinness has a great chance after winning at the Cheltenham Festival and Dinoblue is stepping back in trip which I think will suit her. With that said, GENTLEMAN DE MEE seems to come to himself at this time of the year when the sun is about. The ground will be be beautiful spring national hunt ground which he thrives on and I’m siding with him at ? over Dinoblue.

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6.00pm Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase (Grade 1) 3m1f
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Another horse stepping up in trip is SPILLANE’S TOWER. He’s had a great year and been very good clashing with Blood Destiny and won the battle against that horse most recently when stepped up to 2 and a half miles. He’s a classy horse and I think he’ll be better again over this trip of 3 miles and any bit of juice around in the early part of the week will help him. He has to face Monty’s Star who is a very fair horse himself and it’s between the two of them but I’m going with Spillane’s Tower at a current price of ? .

If the Mangan team weren’t really happy with him they had the opportunity to leave him off and finish the year on a high but they must be very happy with him to come here.

Good Luck
Davy

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