Punchestown Festival racing tips: Best bets for day 3 on Thursday, May 2
- Enda McElhinney
- 1 May 2024
The Punchestown Festival speeds beyond the halfway mark on Thursday afternoon with day three set to be headlined by the Champion Stayers Hurdle as Teahupoo goes after a Cheltenham/Punchestown double.
We will start off with a quick run through our tips, with the reasons why we've picked them further down the page.
Don't forget to check out the full racecard, results and live odds in Planet Sport's racing live centre.
Good luck and please gamble responsibly.
(Please be aware selections could become non-runners after article's first publication)
Punchestown Thursday tips:
15:40 (Punchestown) Walhaan
16:15 (Punchestown) Blood Destiny
16:50 (Punchestown) Streets Of Doyen
17:25 (Punchestown) Gaelic Warrior
18:00 (Punchestown) Teahupoo
18:35 (Punchestown) Kilbeg King
19:05 (Punchestown) Spindleberry
19:40 (Punchestown) Port Joulain
15:40 (Punchestown) Walhaan
Likely contenders from the front of the market include Undeniable Alibi for Gordon Elliott and Jack Kennedy and Catena Zapata for Henry de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore. But a chance is taken on Ciaran Murphy's Walhaan.
He was a Leopardstown winner over timber last spring and probably hasn't had optimal conditions in three starts over jumps this season, though he has run well in each instance.
He's fit from the Flat for his first 2024 jumping test and remains on a fair mark.
16:15 (Punchestown) Blood Destiny
After a convincing chasing debut success at Naas over 2m4f in December, the Willie Mullins-trained Blood Destiny has been trading blows with Spillane's Tower in three runs since, including a win over this trip at Navan in March before the latter bagged successive Grade 1s.
Now sent handicapping, this mark of 150 isn't prohibitive and this class-dropper is hugely respected under a thriving Paul Townend.
16:50 (Punchestown) Streets Of Doyen
The classy pair Coko Beach and Stumptown have clear claims in this La Touche Cup Cross Country Chase for Gordon Elliott and Gavin Cromwell and their market prominence should reflect that.
Streets Of Doyen didn't get very far in last weeks' Ulster National on his first start back with former trainer John McConnell but he could have a say here if taking to the Banks course with his rider taking off a useful 7lb.
17:25 (Punchestown) Gaelic Warrior
Willie Mullins accounts for three of the four runners in the Grade 1 Barberstown Castle Novice Chase and while Il Etait Temps was a convincing scorer at Aintree in this grade three weeks ago, it is very hard to escape the claims of the imperious Arkle winner Gaelic Warrior.
Whatever was ailing him previously at the Dublin Racing Festival was a banished memory in the Cotswolds and he should prove hard to topple on that evidence.
18:00 (Punchestown) Teahupoo
No horse this century has completed the Cheltenham/Punchestown Stayers Hurdle double in the same season but few have had stronger claims than Teahupoo.
Gordon Elliott's charge, now aged seven, proved himself an improved performer in the Cotswolds and is now rated at least 9lb superior to anything that faces him now.
While this faster surfaces poses some questions, he should be too strong for re-opposing rivals Home By The Lee and Sire Du Berlais and, like he did at Cheltenham, can better a placed effort in this race 12 months ago by winning it now.
18:35 (Punchestown) Kilbeg King
Winner of this race 12 months ago, Kilbeg King is back seeking to export the prize to Britain again for Anthony Honeyball and Sam Twiston-Davies.
He's been in good form over fences for most of this season, going close in an Ascot Grade 2 novice in February, and can revert to hurdles off an attractive mark.
19:05 (Punchestown) Spindleberry
Jack Kennedy could be sweating by this stage as his jockeys' title rival Paul Townend has some stellar chances on day three and they certainly include Spindleberry in the Listed Close Brothers Mares Novice Hurdle that is the penultimate race.
She won in carefree fashion over 2m4f at Fairyhouse in January and her subsequent second behind stablemate Jade De Grugy in the Grade 1 Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle sets a clear standard here, while the drop back in trip is not an undue worry.
19:40 (Punchestown) Port Joulain
Patrick Mullins was out of luck in the Grade 1 bumper here yesterday but can soon make amends on Port Joulain.
A £300,000 purchase for Rich Ricci after winning his point-to-point, he was polished and professional on Rules bow at Gowran Park in early March, travelling smoothly and pulling right away with a smart sort from Henry de Bromhead's team before asserting control inside the final furlong.
There should be plenty more to come from him.
