Willie Mullins Column: Punchestown Festival Saturday guide
It's been an amazing week for our columnist at Punchestown and he's hoping Concertista can to his Grade One haul on Saturday.
SATURDAY RUNNERS
14:50 Dragon D'Estruval
I’d rather a little softer ground for him if I’m honest but Brian Hayes rides and I’d say he has an each-way chance.
15:20 Burning Victory
She has it all to do on ratings but is working well at home and is capable of improvement still.
15:20 Concertista
Patrick takes the ride. I was a little disappointed with her at Cheltenham but I think she’s in better form here and I’m hoping she’ll take all the beating.
15:20 My Sister Sarah
It probably looks a little short for her but hopefully she can pick up some more valuable black type.
15:20 Stormy Ireland
She’s highly-rated and ran very well in Fairyhouse so she’s one who could possibly be placed.
16:00 Haut En Couleurs
He ran very well in the Triumph Hurdle and Paul Townend takes the ride here. If he improves at all from the Cheltenham run he might be hard to beat. I think he has too.
16:00 Saint Sam
He ran a cracker from a long way back in the Fred Winter at Cheltenham. He has it to do on ratings but could run into a place.
16:30 Brahma Bull
He has a tough task here with top weight but it’s a nice prize and he has his chance.
17:05 Bleu Berry
A horse I like and he could come back. He might be an each-way prospect in this.
17:05 Ciel De Neige
Here’s a horse with a nice chance. Jody McGarvey rides and this horse is down nicely in the weights on 11st 3lb. He could be one of the best of ours today.
17:05 Dandy Mag
Has run well of late but it might be a bit sharp for him and he has top weight but Hugh Morgan takes off a valuable five pounds. He’s not without a chance.
17:05 Foveros
He’s hard to fancy in this and is probably best watched.
17:05 Koshari
He won in Cork in January but has plenty of weight here. That said it’s one of those handicaps you could run eight or ten times and get a different winner in each.
17:05 Lady Breffni
She won last time with Danny and I think this is the right trip for her. She has a lovely racing weight.
17:05 Low Sun
I think he’s probably at the top of his handicap mark and it’s going to be difficult for him.
17:05 Power Of Pause
Another one of our better ones in here. He was going well when he fell with Bryan Cooper at Fairyhouse and if he gets it all together he’s probably one of our top two in this.
17:05 Sayo
Rachael Blackmore rides. The day this horse runs his right race he’s going to win a nice prize and maybe Rachael can coax it out of him.
17:05 Crack Mome & Tiger Tap Tap
They’re reserves and I don’t think they’ll get in. Even if they do we probably have others with stronger claims.
17:40 Klassy Kay
Has run well during the season and the ground is going to be right for her. She has plenty of weight and isn’t the biggest mare but the trip is fine and with a bit of luck she might pick up some prize money.
18:10 Willie The Coo
This is a very nice horse, Patrick rides and the only reservation I have is he’s a four-year-old taking on the older horses which can tough enough to do around here. But this fellow goes very well.
DAY THREE FIVE-TIMER
We had another very good day on Thursday. All the winners were very good and I thought Dysart Dynamo was awesome in winning the bumper. To pull Patrick around for two miles like he did and still finish at the end means he must have a huge engine. He’s one I’m really looking forward to.
Klassical Dream jumped well and Patrick got him nicely settled. He’s maturing now. He used to get very giddy before his races but with age he’s getting better and to put in that sort of performance on his first run over three miles was unreal.
We’ve done a lot of schooling with him and he jumps well so I’d imagine he’ll go over fences next season but it’s good to know there’s a staying hurdle career in the background if things don’t work out over fences.
Here are my thoughts on the Saturday team.
DAY TWO TREBLE
The two very impressive horses on Wednesday were Galopin Des Champs and Kilcruit, while Grangee did what she had to do in the bumper.
I’m looking forward to next year with all of them. We’ll have to think about what we do with Galopin Des Champs. Whether we stay over extended trips over hurdles and go for the Stayers’, or whether we go over fences.
Kilcruit looks tailor-made to go jumping, she does everything very naturally, while Grangee was a great buy for Jack Cantillon and she looks money well spent.
Looking back on the Punchestown Gold Cup, Clan Des Obeaux was very brave, he went out and made his own running and jumped from fence to fence, he did it the hard way.
Al Boum Photo looked like he might get to him before the second last, but he dropped his legs over the last two so possibly it was just a tough race at Cheltenham taking its toll.
DAY ONE FIVE-TIMER
It was brilliant to get a good start at the Punchestown Festival, we had a few disappointments as well, but you can’t really ask for more than five winners and they were all very good.
Myself and Paul Townend chatted before the race that we’d be more positive with Chacun Pour Soi and he made his intentions clear from the outset. The horse jumped brilliantly for him and he puts horses under pressure when he’s like that, he just didn’t fire at Cheltenham.
Colreevy is in foal to Walk In The Park and owned by the Flynns, so that was her racecourse swansong and what a way to bow out.
A fabulous mare, she was very good at Cheltenham and to back it up like that is exceptional for any horse, never mind a mare. I’m looking forward to seeing her progeny running over the next few years.
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