Keith Donoghue’s William Hill blog: Seeking compensation with Sixandahalf

William Hill ambassador Keith Donoghue previews his rides Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the Punchestown Festival.

Having had a quiet start to this year’s Punchestown Festival things start to really get serious over the final three days of the meeting for me.

Punchestown, Thursday

It all kicks off on Thursday with The Other Mozzie (2:30pm), whose last two runs over fences have been good. He ran a good race at the Cheltenham Festival and he won at Ayr the last day. He has gone up to 145 now over fences, but he is running back here off a hurdles mark of 119. It doesn’t always work out when you switch back because they are lower over hurdles, but we are giving it a shot and hoping that it will work and that he is well-in at the weights. I’ve popped him over a few hurdles to get him ready for this. I would say he is best over either two miles or two and a quarter miles as I don’t think he  quite sees out two and a half miles. There are 25 runners in the race so he will need a bit of luck as well.

Next up for me on Thursday is Midnight It Is (3:05pm). He has run a couple of good races this year when he was third in the Dan & Joan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase and when he filled the same spot in the Grand Annual. He has been running consistently all year and hopefully he can get his day as he does deserve a big one for all those efforts. He will run his race, whether he is good enough or not I don’t know. I would probably say he is in the grip of the handicapper a little bit.

It is great to get back on board Vanillier in the La Touche Cup (3:40pm), which is the biggest banks race in Ireland. When he ran over the banks course at Punchestown on his last visit there he won very well and he has since run at the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National at Aintree. It didn’t happen for him in the Grand National – he just didn’t have the gears to go with them; it was as simple as that. It is a different race now and he is not fast enough to lay up with them. He seems to have come out of Aintree well and I think the trip here over four-miles-one-furlong will really suit him. I’m really looking forward to him as he has to have a great chance.

I would say that Sixandhalf is my ride of the day in the Listed mares novice hurdle (4:50pm), especially on her Cheltenham Festival form. The ground will suit as will the extended two-mile trip. Hopefully, with a clear round, she will go very close. We decided not to run in the Grade One at Fairyhouse as two-and-a-half miles on that soft ground would have not been for her as she is quite small and she wants nice ground. She probably has a flat campaign ahead of her this summer so Gavin (Cromwell) didn’t want to give her a really hard race on heavy ground over two-and-a-half miles. You would be hoping if she replicates her Cheltenham run she should be the one to beat. It would give us a little bit of compensation here if she won this.

Only By Night (5:25pm) ran a cracker in the Arkle. We had a bit of luck on the day as everything went right for us, bar just getting nabbed on the line. We are under no illusions that had Majborough jumped either of the last two fences well then he would have won. Our mare is in good form, and you can’t be afraid of one horse, so hopefully we will be bang there. And if anything happens to Majborough hopefully we can pick up the pieces again. She did travel over to Aintree, but she was pulled out on the day due to the ground.

My final ride on Thursday is on Colonel Mustard for Lorna Fowler in the Grade One Champion Stayers Hurdle (6:00pm). He is a consistent horse that always runs his race. He is probably up against it here with the likes Teahupoo and Hiddenvalley Lake, but hopefully he can run into a place. It is his first start at this sort of trip and it wouldn’t be the biggest shock if he does run into a place.

Punchestown, Friday

I’ve got plenty of nice rides on Friday starting with Brides Hill, who is back to try and win the Grade Two Irish EBF Glencarraig Lady Francis Flood Mares Chase (4:50pm) for the second year running. She put up a good run at Cheltenham finishing second behind Dinoblue and she has come out of that well. The drying ground will suit her, but we are probably up against it with Dinoblue. We need Dinoblue to underperform even though we are getting weight from her. We have decided to put the cheekpieces on her just to try and sharpen up her jumping and help her get through the air a little bit quicker. She still seems good at home and we thought she would run a good race at Cheltenham, but she just wasn’t quite good enough that day, however hopefully we can put it up to Dinoblue.

Path D’Oroux will line up in the Listed novice handicap chase (5:25pm), but he is probably the worst-handicapped horse in the country. He always runs his race and he ran well the last day at Fairyhouse. The only day he disappointed this year was at the Cheltenham Festival for whatever reason. He is probably just too consistent for his own good and he doesn’t get a chance from the handicapper. He is going back up in trip, but there is no other race really for him so it isn’t some grand master plan. If he runs into a place, I would be more than happy.

We are rolling the dice with Break My Soul in the Champion Hurdle (6:40pm). I thought she put in a good run in the Aintree Hurdle as the ground would have been quick enough for her. She probably didn’t quite fully let herself down on it, but Punchestown always do a good job watering so it will be lovely safe ground here. We will be riding her to finish fourth, but if we get a little bit of luck and she finishes third then that would be great. It is definitely good to be riding in this sort of race. There was a point I thought I might get third at Aintree, but on that quicker ground she was just minding herself a bit. She probably didn’t see out the trip that day so back at two miles will be a help as well. If we can pick up a bit of prize money then that would be great.

My final ride on Friday is aboard newcomer Deanery Charlie in the two-mile novice hurdle (7:10pm). It is his first time out for Gavin, and we haven’t had him overly long. It is a very competitive race, but it gives the owners a day out at Punchestown. Hopefully he can run a nice race and we will see where we are going afterwards. I’ve sat on him once at home and he is a grand horse.

Punchestown, Saturday

I’ll be back over the banks course on Saturday aboard Final Orders (2:30pm). He has been a great horse and he is trying the banks for the first time. He has always been a very good jumper, and schooling him he seems to have taken to them well. He is probably not bred for them, but he has taken to them well so hopefully, with the drying ground which he will like, he can run a good race. He was second in the Ulster National on his run before last, but the ground just went against him last time in the Irish Grand National. It is not that he is out of form, it was just the ground went against him in Fairyhouse.

I’m hoping to be back on board Yeah Man (3:05pm) for the first time since finishing fourth on him in the Thyestes at Gowran Park back in January. He has been a little bit unlucky as he has unseated in two of his last three runs. He is always knocking on the door in these staying races. The trip will suit him as will the ground so he would have to have a good chance if he puts in a clear round. There is nothing wrong with his jumping, it has just been one of these things with him.

I’m really looking forward to seeing Hello Neighbour (4:50pm) back in action in the Grade One Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle. I think he ran a lot better than the result looks in the Triumph Hurdle. He was levelling out a little bit coming to the last, but he made a mistake at the last and my chance had gone then so I looked after him up to the line. He is doing well at home and he has strengthened up since Cheltenham. We have given him that bit extra time since Cheltenham as he missed Aintree. We would be hopeful of a good run as he is definitely in as good a form as he was before any of his other runs. I think we can get closer to Lulamba this time as well. The hood will be kept on him as well as he needs that.