WILLIE MULLINS
PENHILL
7yo b g (1114112-1)
Friday - Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle
We were obviously going to Cheltenham hoping that Penhill could do what he did and win there without a run but the closer it got to the race I was just hoping to myself that he could run well at Cheltenham and then come back for the Stayers race at Punchestown – it was some prep run! He will go there and could be joined by Bacardys who was running on okay when he fell at the last at Cheltenham.
DJAKADAM
9yo b g (342-2P35)
Wednesday - Coral Punchestown Gold Cup
Djakadam will attempt to win the Punchestown Gold Cup having finished second in the race three times already. He ran well in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and he goes well around Punchestown.
He could be joined by Bellshill, who we bypassed Aintree with. He seems fine after his run in the Irish Grand National.
Douvan is on track for the BoyleSports Champion Chase on Tuesday
DOUVAN
8yo b g (1/11117-F)
UN DE SCEAUX
10yo b g (1112-1121)
Tuesday - BoyleSports Champion Chase
Douvan is good. He seems fine since Cheltenham and we have been training him towards the BoyleSports Champion Chase.
Great Field has pleased me since Navan and would be under consideration for that race also. I was very happy with his effort at Navan on his first run of the season.
Un De Sceaux won nicely at Fairyhouse and the plan would be for him to go to the Champion Chase as well. He hasn’t done much since Fairyhouse but he’s made of iron and we are looking forward to it.
FAUGHEEN
10yo b g (1211/1P26)
MELON
6yo ch g (122-1352)
WICKLOW BRAVE
9yo b g (/033/71-7)
Friday - BETDAQ Punchestown Champion Hurdle
Faugheen likes it around Punchestown and could go back for the Champion Hurdle, which is a race he has won before, or we could step him up in trip. We’ll make a decision in the coming days.
Melon will definitely go for the Champion Hurdle and we are looking forward to bringing him there after his run at the Cheltenham Festival where he went very close to beating Buveur D’Air.
Wicklow Brave was a pleasant surprise when winning the race last year and he’ll go back to try and win it again. We know he has that sort of ability.
GORDON ELLIOTT
SAMCRO
6yo ch g (111-1111)
Samcro is in good order and ready to go at Punchestown but which race we’ll go for won’t be decided until this weekend at the earliest. We were obviously delighted with his performance at Cheltenham and he’s a horse that I feel very lucky to have.
We’ve given him different options at Punchestown and we just want to make sure we try and pick the right one for him.
He won the Ballymore (2m5f) at Cheltenham so the Profile Systems Champion Novice Hurdle (2m4f) on Friday could be the race for him but I’d have no problem dropping him back for the Herald Champion Novice Hurdle (2m) or stepping him up in trip.
He’s also in the Champion Hurdle on Friday but we’ll wait and see and I’ll have to sit down and talk to Michael and Eddie.
FARCLAS
4yo gr g (221)
Saturday - AES Champion Four Year Old Hurdle (Grade 1)
He has come out of Cheltenham really well and is in really good form. He has improved significantly for each of his runs over hurdles and hopefully he can do so again. He goes for the four-year-old race on Saturday.
DOCTOR PHOENIX
10yo br g (210112F)
Tuesday - BoyleSports Champion Chase
It would be tough to say that Doctor Phoenix would have beaten Un De Sceaux at Fairyhouse but, most importantly, he is fine since that fall and on course for the BoyleSports Champion Chase on Tuesday.
That looks like it is going to be a very hot race but he certainly deserves to take his chance and he’s been a grand horse for us this season.
OUTLANDER
10yo b g (61332PP)
Wednesday - Coral Punchestown Gold Cup (Grade 1)
Outlander goes for the Coral Punchestown Gold Cup and General Principle might join him, we’ll make a decision on him at the weekend.
Outlander won another Grade 1 for us this season at Down Royal was only beaten a neck in the Irish Gold Cup in February and he was only three lengths behind Road To Respect in the Christmas Chase.
If the ground doesn’t dry up too much hopefully he’ll be there or thereabouts.
NOEL MEADE
ROAD TO RESPECT
7yo ch g (2211-1214)
Wednesday - Coral Punchestown Gold Cup
We’ve had a great run with him since Cheltenham. He’s not a horse that takes a lot of work.
He just has one piece of work to do before he runs and so far everything has gone very much to plan. We decided after Cheltenham that we were going to skip Liverpool, so that worked out well enough.
COLIN TIZZARD
KILBRICKEN STORM
7yo b g (45-131131)
Wednesday - Irish Daily Mirror Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)
I think he had the run of the race when he won the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham because a couple in front went too fast and the second and the third were sat too far back. Harry (Cobden) was sat right in the pocket and we had a hell of an advantage. But, having said that, Kilbricken Storm is a really good horse and we’ll find out how just good he is in Punchestown.
We’ve always had a little trouble with his feet.
We had a run-in with them going into Cheltenham, then he came right, then he had trouble straight afterwards.
But that was only for a week and he’s been in full work since then so he’ll be fine for next week
FINIAN’S OSCAR
6yo b g (-1132P51)
Tuesday - Growise Champion Novice Chase (Grade 1)
We are just keeping an eye on him to see how he has dealt with Aintree but he should be fine.
He’s a good horse and only 18 months ago all he had to his name was one point-to-point so he’s done a hell of a lot in a short space of time.
Robbie (Power) looked after him on the first circuit at Aintree, he made two bad mistakes when he started picking the pace up. He’s going to be a three-miler.
SIZING GRANITE
10yo br g (5P51-PP13)
Wednesday - Coral Punchestown Gold Cup (Grade 1)
Sizing Granite ran a cracking race in the Melling Chase at Aintree and there’s a very good chance he’ll head to the Punchestown Gold Cup.
Obviously we don’t know whether he’ll stay the three miles there but if we don’t try we won’t find out.
The likes of he and Finian’s Oscar had been nowhere all season.
Horses aren’t always at the very top all the time, then suddenly they were running the races of their life at Aintree so it makes sense to keep them going a bit longer. If we have the horses I like to run them.
DAN SKELTON
OPTIMUS PRIME
6yo b g (P6-24111)
Thursday - Ryanair Novice Steeplechase (Grade 1)
He is going over and obviously it won’t be ideal for us having Footpad in there. But our fellow has won three chases this year and we are hoping we will get a bit of nice ground for him at Punchestown.
He has missed all the Festivals at home so should be a fresh horse going there and realistically we are hoping to pick up some nice place money.
NICKY HENDERSON
MY TENT OR YOURS
11yo b g (24222-14)
Friday - BETDAQ Punchestown Champion Hurdle
I think he is a definite to run. I thought he ran really well in the Aintree Hurdle and he didn’t go to Cheltenham so we’ll have another go at the Champion Hurdle.
We might also bring Charli Parcs over for the same race.
We’ve got one or two others on the shortlist for Punchestown and I think the ground could be the best of any of the Festivals.
Henry de bromhead
PALOMA BLUE
6yo br g (12-32134)
Tuesday - Herald Champion Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)
He is in good form and we were thrilled with how he ran when fourth in the Supreme at Cheltenham.
He ran well when second in the Champion Bumper at this meeting last year so we’re looking forward to going back there.
MONALEE
7yo b g (124-1F12)
Tuesday - Growise Champion Novice Steeplechase (Grade 1)
He won his beginners chase at Punchestown earlier in the season and the trip and ground should suit him. I couldn’t be happier with him at the moment.
IDENTITY THIEF
8yo b g (U460-6241)
Friday - Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle (Grade 1)
He seems to have come out of Aintree well and we were naturally delighted with him over there and how he coped with the step up in trip so we’ve left him in Thursday’s Champion Stayers Hurdle and, all being well, he’ll go there.
We know we are taking a bit of a punt but it’s the end of the season and he’s in good form so if we are happy next week he will run.