14:40 Punchestown

Monday 19 December 2022

All12:4013:1013:4014:1014:4015:1015:40

Last Chance 20% Off Festival Tickets Beginners Chase

Off time: 14:41 | Winning time: 4m 36.0s

Appreciate It²⁷⁹

Age: 8| Weight: 11-12| J: Paul Townend| T: W P Mullins| D

1/5

High-class hurdler. 9¼ lengths seventh of 10 to Honeysuckle in Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham (16.4f, good, 10/3). Off 9 months ahead of this chase debut but will prove very hard to beat if his jumping passes the test.

Form: 21111/7-

Better Times Ahead^h²²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: L P Dempsey| T: R Tyner

80/1

Fair chaser. 100/1 and hooded for 1st time, thirteenth of 15 in novice chase at Navan (17f, heavy) 22 days ago.

Form: 6917-90

Bite That²⁵

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: S Fitzgerald⁽³⁾| T: P J Flynn| D

200/1

Modest hurdler. Winner in hurdle at Tramore in August. Below form seventh of 16 in handicap hurdle at Thurles (16.2f, soft, 14/1) 25 days ago. Makes chase debut.

Form: 061607

Get My Drift^t²⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: Mark Walsh| T: M F Morris| BF| D

15/2

Useful hurdler. Useful winner at 16f over hurdles. Sixth of 9 in novice chase at this course (19.7f, good to soft, 4/1) 20 days ago, not knocked about. Each-way chance.

Form: 4309-36

Hawai Game^h,t²⁶⁰

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: D E Mullins| T: W P Mullins

12/1

Fairly useful hurdler. Winner at Naas in December 2021. Off 8 months. Makes chase debut. Appreciate It is the stable first-string.

Form: 1/1P8-

Mount Brown³⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: B J Cooper| T: N Meade| D

40/1

Fairly useful hurdler. Fourth of 7 in novice chase at Fairyhouse (16f, heavy, 11/1) on debut over fences 34 days ago. Likely to improve.

Form: 127-364

The Dasher Conway²²

Age: 7| Weight: 11-12| J: C D Maxwell| T: Mrs G Callaghan| D

50/1

Fairly useful hurdler. Fairly useful winner at 16f over hurdles. Tenth of 15 in novice chase (125/1) at Navan (17f, heavy) 22 days ago.

Form: 802400

Top Bandit¹²²

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: Jack Kennedy| T: G Elliott| CD

15/2

Useful hurdler. Eighth of 10 in handicap hurdle at Killarney (17f, good to soft, 10/1) 122 days ago. Makes chase debut.

Form: 1110-F8

Just Jacob¹¹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-6| J: Keith Donoghue| T: G P Cromwell

125/1

Fair hurdler. Latest win in hurdle at Sligo in August. Fair winner at 10f on flat. Pulled up in novice chase (125/1) at Clonmel (16f, heavy) 11 days ago, pulled up before last.

Form: 1565FP

Non-Runners

Gain De Cause²²

Weight: 11-12| Age: 6

T: A J Martin J: Simon Torrens

Forecasts

Appreciate It (1/5), Top Bandit (15/2), Get My Drift (15/2), Hawai Game (12/1), Mount Brown (40/1), The Dasher Conway (50/1), Gain De Cause (66/1), Better Times Ahead (80/1), Just Jacob (125/1), Bite That (200/1)

All eyes will be on APPRECIATE IT, who was the leading novice hurdler in Britain and Ireland a couple of seasons ago and suffered his first defeat over timber back from a year off in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March. He looks every inch a chasing type and, barring accidents, he will surely make a winning start in this sphere before going on to bigger and better things. Get My Drift and Top Bandit can fill the places.