Our Irish expert Tony Keenan looks ahead to today's action from day three of the Punchestown Festival.
Irish racing tips: Thursday April 30
0.5pts e.w. Seskin Flash in 16:50 Punchestown at 12/1 (Sky Bet, William Hill 1/5 1,2,3,4,5)
It is the old versus the new in the feature at Punchestown this evening, the veterans Teahupoo and Bob Olinger going against less exposed types like Honesty Policy, Jimmy Du Seuil and Kawaboomga in the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle at 18:05.
Teahupoo looks an ok price given his record in these races generally, and this race specifically, though he has had an extra run in the middle of this season and has been thought best fresh at points in his career.
Jetara has not fired this season but looked in need of a stiffer test last time at Cheltenham and was third in the race last year. Her yard has been in good form over the first two days of the meeting, and she is not the worst outsider.
The other Grade 1 on the card is the Barberstown Castle Novice Chase at 17:25 where Kopek Des Bordes should take some beating. He shaped like the best horse in the Arkle, overcoming early mistakes to jump slickly mid-race before arriving at the last going best. An error there cost him momentum, and he couldn’t get going again.
There is some fragility with him, however. He disappointed at the meeting last year, and there is a slight chance the Cheltenham run will have taken something out of him given he was off a break.
If there is one to produce an upset, perhaps it will be Pure Steel. He has raced over intermediate trips at times this season but gives the strong impression he is a two miler, both his wins over fences coming over this track and trip.
His last run came in the Grade 1 novice over two-and-a-half miles on Easter Sunday where he raced keenly throughout but was still going well when unseating three out.
The other chase over two miles this evening is the Frontline Security Handicap Chase at 16:50 and it should be run at a strong pace looking at the make-up of the field which could play to the strengths of SESKIN FLASH. He may be worth a small each-way bet.
He has done well since joining the Dempsey yard, especially since going over fences with the hood applied, and dropping him back to the minimum trip has seen him run well on his last two handicap starts.
The first was his third at Down Royal in October when travelled strongly behind the leaders and perhaps his rider could have been more forceful after three out rather than allow his rivals behind close up on him as he then made a slight mistake at the second last and met some traffic before having to rally towards the inner, away from the two that beat him.
He backed that up with a good fourth at Leopardstown over Christmas, again travelling kindly and not helped by errors at the third and second last as he making his move, doing well to finish as close as he did.
Both those runs came on decent going, and those just about the only good ground meetings throughout a very wet winter, so I am inclined to think that is absence since was by design as connections waited for a sound surface and he has won fresh in the past too.
His yard has a fine season, equalling their previous best of 14 winners, and hopefully he can provide a positive end for them.
The rest of the card makes little betting appeal, the Conway Piling Handicap Hurdle at 16:15 looking particularly tough. The closing JP & M Doyle (C & G) INH Flat Race (18:35) is interesting with both Outofafrika and It’s Good To Talk looking a touch overpriced, though the former may want slower ground and the latter’s form was let down by Low Kick yesterday.
Preview published at 08:46 BST on 30/04/26
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