Gavin Cromwell’s William Hill blog: Path D’Oroux on track for big run

It’s been a fantastic start to the Punchestown Festival for me and the team with Sixandahalf and Backtonormal both nice winners on the first two days of the meeting. We’re back to the track on Thursday with a select team hoping to add to our tally for the week.

Thursday, Punchestown

We kick off Thursday with Club Manager (3.40pm) in the opener. Club Manager is normally Keith’s (Donoghue) ride, but he’s injured so Sean (Flanagan) comes in. It’s a pretty quick turnaround for him here after his Bellewstown win, but you’d like to think the experience of that effort will do him good. Macinamillion is also in here, but is a reserve so isn’t sure to get in.

Path D’Oroux (4.15pm) has been everywhere this season. He’s been placed at Aintree, Cheltenham and the Dublin Racing Festival, and although he’s had a lot of racing, he looks to have taken it all in his stride. I think he seems in good form and Connor Stone-Walsh will claim five pounds off him. I’d like to think he’ll have a bit of a chance, and hopefully he won’t be far away.

Stumptown (4.50pm) is heading over the banks for the first time in the La Touche. We’ve schooled him on the cross-country course at the track and he looked to take to the task well. A lot of these horses need a run around the course to get the hang of it, so it’ll be interesting to see how he runs. I’m hoping he can run a nice race and be competitive. I also send Fameaftertheglory to same race, who was third in the cross-country race at Cheltenham in December. He’s been a very hard horse to win with, but I’d like to think he can give a good account of himself.

We send a couple to the Listed Mares Novice Hurdle (7.05pm) in the shape of Only By Night and Me Wee Bonnie Lass. Only By Night has a little bit to find off her mark but she has shown a good amount of ability on the track, and we do like her. Me We Bonnie Lass was a nice winner in Bellewstown last week and we’re turning her around again quickly, but we think it’s a nice opportunity for her to grab some black type.

The Passing Wife is my final runner on the card. It looks quite a deep race, with Willie Mullins, Joseph O’Brien and Martin Brassil’s representatives all towards the head of the betting. He’s probably up against it here and his price probably reflects that. Saying that, he was second to Redemption Day on his last start and that form has worked out very well with him winning at Punchestown on Wednesday, so maybe don’t write my lad off completely.