Slade Steel (left) and Mystical Power meet again at Punchestown
Key Punchestown clashes on day one including Captain Guinness against Dinoblue
By Matt Brocklebank
16:27 · MON April 29, 2024
The five-day Punchestown Festival kicks off on Tuesday and here we highlight the three key clashes on the opening afternoon.
Mystical Power v Slade Steel
The race of the day on Tuesday, there’s not much doubting that, and there is only 2lb between Sky Bet Supreme winner Slade Steel (162) and reopposing runner-up Mystical Power (160) on Timeform’s adjusted figures for the KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle.
JP McManus-owned Mystical Power has since been pushed close by Firefox – who also lines up here - in the big one at Aintree [replay below] but you sense Willie Mullins’ representative is just getting to grips with the hurdling game and there’s bound to be more to come as he matures.
He’s got a course and distance win on the board thanks to his Sky Bet Moscow Flyer victory but Slade Steel is no stranger to Punchestown either having won a bumper here before finishing third to Ballyburn in that sphere at last year’s Festival.
Henry De Bromhead’s star looks likely to start favourite but it seems we’re all merely guests in ‘Willie’s World’ this season and the pacey Mystical Power appreciating the forecast yielding ground that little bit better would come as no surprise.
Verdict: Power-packed finish may be the difference
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Captain Guinness v Dinoblue
The Queen Mother Champion Chase winner taking on the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase runner-up wouldn’t be billed as much of a match-up in a typical season but there is plenty of intrigue as Captain Guinness meets Dinoblue.
Dinoblue played second in command behind stablemate El Fabiolo in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase at the DRF in February, the venerable ‘Captain’ back in third on that occasion, but the latter has since taken full advantage of the principals failing to show up – literally when it comes to Jonbon – at Cheltenham in March, where Henry De Bromhead’s nine-year-old looked about as good as he ever has done.
Dinoblue, for the all-conquering Mullins and McManus combination, won readily from Queen Mother second Gentleman De Mee when scoring at the highest level in Leopardstown’s two-mile Grade 1 over Christmas.
She’s since had her stamina stretched to the limit in the Mares’ Chase but went down fighting behind Limerick Lace and looks bound to appreciate a return to the stiff two miles at this course, where she won impressively in a handicap at last year’s April jamboree.
Verdict: Dino has too much bite for Guinness
Monty’s Star v Spillane’s Tower
Just how good is Fact To File? That could be the key question here as Monty's Star, who put up a brave effort in behind the odds-on favourite in last month's Brown Advisory at Cheltenham, looks to bag the first Grade 1 of his burgeoning career in a race trainer Henry De Bromhead has surprisingly yet to win.
The Jimmy Mangan-trained Spillane's Tower (another in the famous silks of that man McManus) has points on the board in G1 terms after defying a bit of a market wobble to win the WillowWarm Gold Cup at Fairyhouse over Easter, but the bare form of that victory over Tactical Move and Blood Destiny will need to be improved upon.
Improvement is all this horse has shown through the year in fairness to him but the prevailing ground doesn't look ideal for him to take it to the next level and perhaps this one is best left to De Bromhead and Blackmore.
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