Tony McFadden provides an overview of the key things to note on Sunday.
Predators Gold tops ratings for interesting novice
The Grade 3 novice chase (12:50) at Punchestown on Sunday has attracted only five runners but it's a fascinating contest and features four contenders who have the Timeform 'small p' to show that they are expected to improve.
One of those likely improvers is Predators Gold, and he heads Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings by 5 lb after posting an impressive performance on his chasing debut at Navan last month. Predators Gold, a dual runner-up in Grade 1 novice hurdles in 2023/24, missed all of last season but showed that he retains plenty of ability when beating Slade Steel by a length and a half, with the runner-up ten lengths clear of Wingmen in third.
That performance has been rated by Timeform as one of the best this season by a chasing debutant and marks Predators Gold out as the one to beat.
Lovely Reaction potentially well treated over fences
Lovely Reaction missed most of last season and was pulled up on her return to action in a three-mile handicap chase at Punchestown in November, but she was in the process of running a much better race at Fairyhouse a couple of weeks later only to depart at the third last.
The race was still starting to take shape so it's difficult to be confident about how Lovely Reaction would have fared, but she was travelling better than most and left the impression that she's one to be interested in off a mark that is lower over fences than hurdles.
She still has the Timeform 'small p' attached to her chase rating and is potentially well treated off a mark of 97 in the the 2m3½f handicap chase at Punchestown (13:20), mindful she was a nine-length winner off the same perch over hurdles a couple of seasons ago.
Galaxy Wonder could have more to offer for Carroll
There aren't many runners on another weather-affected day of racing that have Timeform's Horse In Focus Flag. However, there are a couple of such eye-catchers involved in the concluding mile handicap at Chelmsford (16:42).
Miners Gamble is one of the horses in question following an encouraging effort when fourth at Newcastle, where he kept on well inside the final furlong having been faced with a sharper test than ideal, but Galaxy Wonder gets the vote to come out on top on Sunday.
Galaxy Wonder was a promising third over an inadequate seven furlongs at Kempton on his first start for Tony Carroll, and he stepped up on that when involved in a dead-heat over nine and a half furlongs at Wolverhampton a couple of weeks later.
Galaxy Wonder impressed with how he travelled at Wolverhampton and quickened up well in the straight after the gap opened, edging his way to the front inside the final furlong. It looked as if he had secured a narrow victory over a rallying rival as they passed the line, but the timing of the bobbing heads counted against him and he had to settle for a share of the spoils. The way he went through that race suggests he could still have a bigger effort in his locker for his new yard.
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