Jane Mangan
Jane Mangan’s William Hill Blog: Punchestown Festival 2026 Day Four Best Bets
William Hill ambassador Jane Mangan is back with her best bets on Day Four of the 2026 Punchestown Festival.
Punchestown, Friday
Starting with the Champion Hunters’ Chase (4:15pm), I’m going to oppose the ever-consistent reigning champion It’s On The Line with Wonderwall. Whilst he was a little disappointing at the Cheltenham Festival, he was a winner at Dromohane last time and will likely appreciate this drier ground. I’m willing to forgive that lacklustre effort, as his form prior to that was very strong. It’s one for the Oasis fans in the hunter chase!
The Grade Two Mares’ Chase (4:50pm) over two-and-a-half miles is next, and I must go with Dinoblue here. She’s a mare that I was never quite able to give the credit to, but she deserves it now. She’s a 12-time winner who has gone back-to-back at Cheltenham, having the beating of the reopposing Only By Night in comfortable fashion. Now nine years of age, she’s been around the block, but she is very consistent and I think she can bring up her fourth consecutive win here.
The two-and-a-half-mile novice handicap chase (5:25pm) is another tricky puzzle to solve, where I like the look of the JP McManus second string Raglan Road. He won over this distance at Down Royal last time and has been raised five pounds for that, but he met significant trouble in running that day and did well to win in the circumstances. Harry Cobden is set for a big year in these colours next season, but he could cap off this season very well for Henry De Bromhead.
The Grade One Champion Novice Hurdle over two-miles-and-a-half is next (6:00pm). Willie Mullins holds all the aces here once again and I can’t see past King Rasko Grey. He should appreciate the drier conditions and, with the way he won the Turners at Cheltenham from subsequent Aintree Grade One winner Zeus Power, the form is looking really strong. He’s difficult to look past and will be hard to beat.
It’s time for the big one, the Grade One Boodles Champion Hurdle (6:40pm). We’ve crowned the chasing king in Gaelic Warrior, and now I hope we can put the queen beside him with the coronation of Lossiemouth. She has had a wonderful season, taking her tally of Grade One victories to 10, and has never been out of the front two when she has stood up. She has beaten all this opposition before and, barring an accident or an underperformance, I think she will make it 11 Grade One victories in the big one.
I’m a big fan of one in the bumper (7:40pm), and that is Cityofblindinlites for Martin Brassil. He did a lot wrong, showing his inexperience, at Leopardstown, but that form appeals to me, with the winner The Mourne Rambler going on to win at the Cheltenham Festival before finishing second this week at Punchestown in a Grade One. On that form, he holds the reopposing Heldam, and I’m hoping he will have learned from that experience. If he has, then I believe he will be hard to beat in the finale.
