Punchestown 2014 tips/talk/gossip

rossom wrote: »

Wouldn't have thought so. I think they'll try get Hurricane Fly his 20th Grade 1 success and then retire him.

Could they not run both. Un De Sceaux has run in either small fields with no challenge or over a distance that didn't suit in France. Surely the owners will demand he runs to find out how good he is. I would be losing patience at this stage if i owned him.

Harry Angstrom wrote: »

Hard to get excited about Punchestown. Holding Ireland's foremost National Hunt Festival at the end of April/beginning of May is about as sensible as Ascot having a Champions' Flat meeting on heavy ground in the middle of October......

It's a double edged sword really.. They want big players..they can't clash with aintree or Cheltenham..they can't have a big festival in February given proximity to Cheltenham and leopardstown..only other option would probably be November..chances the best horses being fully wound up for November is small..really difficult to find another time to run them. Personally I really like the festival, and if some UK trainers were a bit smarter they would run their Cheltenham horses here instead of aintree given how flat some horses run there and how much it suits certain horses

jimjamcos wrote: »

Un de Sceaux confirmed for France on Saturday instead of Punchestown. Hong Kong next eh Willie! :rolleyes:

What distance is that race?


EDIT,,, 2m 3 and a half furlongs

Strange to hear Ted Walsh completely dismiss the chances of Hurricane Fly reversing the Champion Hurdle placings with Jezki at Punchestown next week during the racing coverage on RTE over the weekend. Walsh seems to have a very selective memory. Jezki has twice finished behind Hurricane Fly this season, and we all know that Cheltenham is a track that doesn't really suit Hurricane Fly, which makes his two Champion Hurdle wins there all the more remarkable. I hope Ted will be eating his words next week.

Un De Sceaux going to France this weekend and not Punchestown, horse has not run at any of the big meetings/festivals in Ireland/England this season :rolleyes:

jimjamcos wrote: »

Willie's also hinting that he could go over fences next season now too. He'll get the horse killed before he gives him a proper chance over hurdles it seems..

I'm pretty sure he knows more about his own horses than any of us. He obviously knows he's no where near Hurricane fly ,and if hes not going to compete in a champion hurdle why not over fences.. Id love to see him flying in the arkle next year. It has to be said all he has done yet like a lot of more or less unproven novices is look good against inferior horses.

jimjamcos wrote: »

Not even getting into this argument with you. Utterly pointless. If you believe that's the reason UDS had been campaigned the way he has then fair enough. Plenty of others with a different view, myself included.

FWIW I'm pretty sure he's somewhere near HF at this stage of their respective careers.

To be fair Jim I've been shouting from the rooftops about UDS since last season and I personally feel a little let down by his run in Auteil actually receiving 7lb's to a 3m 2f horse!!
You could argue that he ran over a distance to far but we know the champion hurdle plays out like a race over 2m all things counted for. You can't get away from the fact gemix got so close to beating him giving him weight..
If you could put the same race in Auteil back in February and a price of 12-1 was available for the champion I wouldn't have backed him...
I personally wouldn't be surprised if blood cotil won the race at the weekend..will have to see the weights.
Sending him over 2m 3 again is madness

BumperD wrote: »

Ruby rides UDS Saturday. How in gods name did he recover from that injury so quickly.

Injury wasn't near as bad as first reported, the compound fracture was a straightforward break and the cut above the elbow healed in no time.

tipster wrote: »

annie is running in the mares hurdle on the saturday

Great price too!

Yeah shocking price but against nothing.

Never too bothered about Punchestown anyway from a betting perspective.

convert wrote: »

Any particular reason? Not trying to 'get' at you or anything, just curious. It's an interesting viewpoint.

You're always trying to get at me so I'm wary of your angle ;-)

End of long hard season. Lot of horses may be running here on a whim or not necessarily planned. Ground probably fasterthan ideal for most. Poor quality graded races and competitive handicaps.

faugheen 4/5 on tues
looks bulletproof to me
wonder would any bookie enhance it to evens on the day?

id be happy to go with the fly at 6/4

ste2010 wrote: »

Can't believe 4/5 is available .. Absolute bombproof

wait or go in now the only dilemma?

will mullins run valseur and wicklow against faugheen?
If not we'd be looking at 1/2 shot or less

maybe someone here might know the answer to that

madmoose wrote: »

Flying over tomorrow for this, cant wait for the experience. How much is a pint at the track at punch?

You won't get much change out of about 5 or 6 euro, and they'll serve it in a plastic glass, and if you ask for stout, it'll be a pint of brown.

Punchestown should really cop themselves on. They could easily condense this into a three or four day meeting, at best. The first race on Tuesday is about the sh!ttiest race you'll see all season, and it's supposed to be kicking off our premier NH meeting. Could you imagine Cheltenham starting with such a rubbish race??

ste2010 wrote: »

I can't imagine valseur lido will run..Wicklow brave maybe given he hasn't win a big one

Took 8/11 earlier with betv, were going 4/5 last nite as were 888 but
With 888 I'm seeing rule 4 applicable in brackets in the bet slip
They're a pathetic lot when it's comes to racing
That price Could look pretty big come post time

So strange that one^^^



Very tempted by the 3s about Balder Success in the novice chase on Thursday.
I have been extremely impressed.