Gavin Cromwell
Gavin Cromwell’s William Hill blog: Punchestown Friday and Saturday preview
William Hill ambassador Gavin Cromwell previews his runners for the fourth and fifth days of the 2025 Punchestown Festival.
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Friday, Punchestown
Our first runner on Friday is Brides Hill in the 2m4½f Grade 2 Mares Chase (4.50pm). She ran well at Cheltenham where she was beaten by a very good mare in Dinoblue and I think it’s going to be very hard for her to reverse that form. She seems in great form and she’s got cheekpieces on for the first time which will hopefully sharpen up her jumping. We’re hoping she’ll run well.
Another who ran at Cheltenham was Path d’Oroux and he runs in the 2m4½f Listed Handicap Chase (5.25pm). He had no headgear on at Cheltenham with it being his first time over 2m4f and he never got going. We put the headgear back on at Fairyhouse and it worked well so we’ve kept it on here. He seemed to come out of that race well, we’re confident he’ll stay the trip and hopefully he can be competitive.
We have four runners in the two-mile Novice Hurdle (7.10pm). it looks a tough race with a few more experienced horses in the field. It’s Deanery Charlie’s first day at school and he may struggle at this level, but it’ll be nice to get him out and see what he can do. Hardysonofdan, Lecale’s Diamond and Struck Oil have all had at least one run in a maiden hurdle and this experience should do them all good going forward.
We round off Friday with Court Canyon in the 2m3f Bumper (7.40pm). He’s a nice horse and I actually trained his dam, Elusive Ivy, to win a few – she was a lovely mare. He’ll love the ground and the trip won’t be a problem for him. I’d like to think he’ll have a good chance.
Saturday, Punchestown
The final day of this year’s Punchestown Festival starts for us with Final Orders in the 3m½f Cross Country Chase (2.30pm). He’s had a quick enough turnaround after being pulled up in the Irish National, but he seems ready to go here. It’s his first time in this discipline but he has schooled over the Cross Country fences. I think it might just take him a run to get used to it and if he runs well, then hopefully he can build on that. He’ll love the ground as well.
In the 3m½f Listed Handicap Chase we have Invictus Machin who is ballot number three and likely to get in. He seems in good form after just being headed at Limerick so hopefully he’ll have a chance here.
Then we have Hello Neighbour looking to add another Grade 1 to his CV in the Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle (4.50pm). He was running really well at Cheltenham but just made a mess of the last and didn’t get going again. We’re really happy with him, his work is good and he’s had plenty of time to freshen up. Punchestown isn’t as testing a track as Cheltenham, which should help him. If he jumps well then you’d like to think he has a good chance.
In the 2m4½f Listed Handicap Hurdle (5.25pm) we have Thecompanysergeant, another who ran a big race at Cheltenham but was beaten by a good horse in Jagwar. He goes back over hurdles here off a much lower mark and he’s in good form. His first run for us was over hurdles back in Navan where he ran really well, but he probably needed the run. He can certainly be competitive off his mark.
We also have Addragoole who has been running consistently well recently but probably doesn’t have a whole lot of room in his handicap mark as a result. That said, he’s a good horse with youth on his side so there could still be some improvement to come.
We finish off the week in the two-mile Charity Race (6.35pm), where we have Due Course and My Good Pal entered. My Good Pal is the likelier runner of the two and he’s best-in at the weights. This level will be a tough task for him but he’s in good form and should run well.
