Barry Geraghty’s William Hill blog: Tower can rise to claim Gold at Punchestown

William Hill ambassador Barry Geraghty looks over the pick of the action on the first two days of the Punchestown Festival.

Punchestown, Tuesday

KOPEK DES BORDES is the best novice hurdler this season and the one to beat in the first of three Grade 1s on the day, the Champion Novice Hurdle (4:15pm). He was hugely impressive at the Dublin Racing Festival, and while he wasn’t fluent at the third last and the final hurdle in the Supreme at Cheltenham, he still proved comfortably the best. He’s a very exciting horse who should have plenty of improvement still to come. For me the value to chase home the favourite could be his stablemate Irancy. He disappointed at Cheltenham but he beat Karniquet, who finished fourth in the Supreme, next time out at Fairyhouse and unlike Salvatore Mundi he didn’t have to travel to Aintree.

On first look the Champion Novice Chase (4:50pm) revolves around the form of the Brown Advisory from Cheltenham, where Lecky Watson sprung a surprise. Ballyburn was keen through the race and his jumping wasn’t up to scratch. I just wonder whether the slower pace they go over three miles really suits him. I’m not fully convinced the Brown Advisory was as strong a race you would expect it to be either. IMPAIRE ET PASSE is the one I like. He jumped really well at Aintree when wearing first-time cheekpieces, which was a huge improvement from his Leopardstown run, where he didn’t show much of an appetite for fences but still finished only 10 lengths behind Ballyburn. The cheekpieces definitely sharpened him up at Aintree and there could be more to come stepping up in trip.

The William Hill Champion Chase (6:00pm) is a fascinating clash between the Champion Chase and Ryanair winners at Cheltenham. Fact To File looked unbelievably good in winning the Ryanair and he found life easier stepped back in trip to two-and-a-half miles. This is another step back to two miles though, especially when you consider he has been trained as a Gold Cup horse this season, so this will be an eye-opener for him. While he’s probably still the one to beat, I think there’s more value to be had with siding with Champion Chaser MARINE NATIONALE. He was foot-perfect at Cheltenham and he looks a proper two-miler. I think the drying ground is going to play more to his strengths than Fact To File.

Punchestown, Wednesday

The opening Grade 1 on Wednesday is the three-mile novice hurdle (4:15pm). JASMINE DE VAUX improved massively in the jumping department when winning the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham and I think can do so again here. I think he had a lot more to contend with at Cheltenham than Honesty Policy did when winning at Aintree. He beat The Big Westerner and Derryhassen Paddy there and to me that looks like the stronger form.

Bambino Fever has been rock-solid all season, winning at Leopardstown and Cheltenham, but it could be significant that Patrick [Mullins] has remained on COPACABANA in the Punchestown Champion Bumper (4:50pm). He was dropped in at Cheltenham which when they didn’t go a strong gallop probably wasn’t the place to be, and he also got caught up in traffic too. I think the value could be with him against the favourite.

The final Grade 1 on the day is the Punchestown Gold Cup (5:30pm). Galopin Des Champs has been brilliant in two Gold Cups at Cheltenham but he has been beaten in this race in the last two seasons. I think his last few performances in this race have been down to lacking freshness after a long season, which can play a major role at this time of year, as we saw with Jonbon at Sandown on Saturday. I’m not sure he will back up his Cheltenham run, and that could leave him vulnerable again. With only four runners here, he is probably going to have to make the pace, which might not be ideal for him either. I’m still willing to hold out for SPILLANE’S TOWER, who we haven’t seen since the King George after he sidestepped Cheltenham and then also Aintree when the ground got quick. He does come here a fresh horse and he did finish in front of Galopin Des Champs in the John Durkan at the start of the season.