Barry Geraghty
Barry Geraghty’s William Hill blog: Only By Night offers a shade of value
William Hill ambassador Barry Geraghty previews the pick of the racing on Friday and Saturday from the Punchestown Festival.
Punchestown, Friday
Dinoblue is a warm order for the Grade 2 two-and-a-half-mile mares’ chase (4:50pm), having won the Mares’ Chase at Cheltenham. However, ONLY BY NIGHT was only a length-and-three-quarters behind her in second that day, having been dropped in and ridden to get the trip, and I feel there could be some value in siding with her against the favourite. Gavin [Cromwell] felt that they probably could have ridden her closer to the pace at Cheltenham, and in this small field, she won’t have to drop too far off Dinoblue. I think there’s probably less between the two than the market suggests, and while Dinoblue is ultra consistent, I think Only By Night might be closing the gap on her.
SHUFFLE THE DECK went into a lot of people’s notebooks when third to Come Walk With Me at Fairyhouse over Easter, and he might be the answer in the Listed two-and-a-half-mile novices’ chase (5:25pm). He had some reasonable form prior to that, having run in good company, but he looks set to benefit from this step up in trip and could be a horse that is coming to hand this spring.
In the Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle (6:00pm) I’m going to keep it simple and go with KING RASKO GREY. We put him up at Cheltenham and he did the business in the Turners, when he was so impressive in what was probably the strongest of the novice hurdles. As a six-year-old, and a horse that has had an easy season after only three starts so far, he should have come out of that race well. On his Cheltenham form he would have to run seriously below that to get beaten here.
It’s hard to oppose LOSSIEMOUTH in the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle (6:40pm). She had seemed to be getting a bit slower and to be racing a bit more lazily, but she was much sharper in the cheekpieces at Cheltenham and showed the pace that she would have promised as a youngster. This is a lesser field than the one she faced in the Champion Hurdle in March and she should take a bit of beating. William Munny is an interesting horse having run second to Kopek Des Bordes in the Supreme last season and he had some good form to his name before that too. He has real potential, but it’s hard to see how he can lower Lossiemouth’s colours on his first start in over a year.
Punchestown, Saturday
UHAVEMEINSTICHES won nicely in Limerick last time and might be able to follow up in the Listed three-mile handicap chase (3:45pm). She has some good form to her name, notably when a fine second to Dinoblue at Naas back in February over what was an inadequate trip. I think she is going to enjoy this trip and the conditions – as she’s out of Bluesea Cracker, who was an Irish Grand National winner, and was a winner on good-to-yielding ground in Wexford back in the autumn. She looks progressive and I think she has plenty of potential off her current handicap mark.
Given she often ran keen in the early part of her career, it’s interesting that Jade De Grugy will be wearing first-time cheekpieces when she lines up in the Grade 1 Mares’ Champion Hurdle (4:15pm). She ran a good race at Cheltenham when getting to a length-and-a-half of WODHOOH in the Mares’ Hurdle. Wodhooh is so tough and consistent, but I just felt that Jack Kennedy rode her a little bit forward in the last mile and I think it took a bit from her finishing kick. She still battled well to win, but she might have been more impressive if ridden with a little bit more confidence. I felt Jack pressed the leaders over three out and on the run to two out, and just got involved a little earlier than he should have. Ridden with more confidence here, I think she can be more impressive in victory.
In the Grade 1 Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle (4:55pm), APOLON DE CHARNIE looks the one to beat after being a good winner of the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham. He was second to Proactif on his only other start in France, and that horse has won since Cheltenham, but it’s hard to get away from the performance that Apolon De Charnie put in on only his second start. The fact that he comes here straight from Cheltenham, having had 50 days to recover, is ideal, and with him already having form against most of these rivals, it makes it hard to make a case against him.
In the Listed two-and-a-half-mile handicap hurdle (5:30pm), the one I like is FIERCE HANDAY. He won well at Fairyhouse last time despite pulling incredibly hard through the race. He was still pulling hard three out and probably got to the front sooner than ideal, but managed to pull away from his rivals impressively. Mark Walsh takes over in the saddle, and I’d like to think he might be able to get him to settle a bit better here, and if that’s the case then he has real potential to build on his last run. On the strength of his performance last time, I think he should go in again here.
