Night And Day

(Willie Mullins)

Tuesday: 3.40 Howden Insurance Brokers Mares Novice Hurdle (Listed)

A bumper week for Willie Mullins could kick off with a winner in the opening mares-only event through the talented Night And Day, who failed to give her true running last time at Fairyhouse in the Grade 1 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle.

The half-sister to Cheltenham Festival-winning hurdler Supasundae looked a high-class prospect when winning on her seasonal debut at Clonmel in February and was made a single-figure price for the Jack de Bromhead Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham on the back of that performance.

However, Simon Munir and Isaac Souede’s six-year-old missed her Cotswolds target due to a setback and proved much too keen when jumping poorly and pulled up in a messy contest at the Fairyhouse Easter Festival.

This looks a weaker assignment and she could bounce back if returning to the sort of promise that saw her bolt up previously in a maiden hurdle.

Gaelic Warrior

(Willie Mullins)

Wednesday: 5.20 Irish Mirror Novice Hurdle (Grade 1)

WILLIE Mullins has won five of the last seven runnings of the Irish Mirror Novice Hurdle and Gaelic Warrior would look very tough to beat if allowed to step up to just shy of three miles for this year’s renewal.

A five-year-old with the experience of eight runs over hurdles - including two appearances at the Cheltenham Festival when runner-up in the 2022 Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle and 2023 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle - he shapes as though going right-handed here will be a help to him and there could be more improvement to unlock for trying this longer distance.

As of Thursday’s entry stage, Susannah Ricci’s 152-rated performer holds a mark that is at least 7lb superior to his nearest rival on Irish figures. It’s possible he could be tested by Albert Bartlett second and third, Sandor Clegane and Affordale Fury, but taking it as a given that they reproduce their best form after such a tough Cheltenham test is no guarantee.

Gaelic Warrior is also entered for the Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle over an extended two miles and three furlongs but it’s hard to be bullish about him beating either Impaire Et Passe or Facile Vega there.

Authorized Art

(Willie Mullins)

Wednesday: 7.05 HSS Hire Handicap Chase (Grade A) or Friday: 4.15 EMS Copiers Novice Handicap Chase (Grade A)

Life hasn’t been easy for this likeable eight-year-old in Grade 1 company this season, but perhaps he would have been difficult to place after rattling off a hat-trick when sent chasing last summer, given he is not a genuine top-level type. There’s every chance a valuable novice chase at this meeting could have been his big target, though, and he heads to Punchestown slightly under the radar after failing to catch fire in the WillowWarm Gold Cup at Fairyhouse earlier this month. Rain-softened ground wouldn’t have been to his liking and he is entitled to sharpen up for the run after a 104-day break.

He has the potential to run a big race in a handicap chase off his mark of 148, particularly if connections opt for a tilt at the EMS Copiers Novice Handicap Chase on day four.

Authorized Art will be among the highest-rated runners in that two-mile-and-five-furlong event, but the champion trainer has landed the €100,000 prize in six of the last seven runnings, including four victories with top-weights.

Junta Marvel

(Willie Mullins)

Wednesday: 7.45 Weatherbys General Stud Book Irish EBF Mares Flat Race (Grade 3)

There was loads to like about the winning debut performance of Junta Marvel at Limerick last month, beating wide-margin point-to-point winner Bioluminescence through her superior pace.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Patrick Mullins doesn’t end up partnering this Masked Marvel mare, given the presence of Fun Fun Fun - the mare he bred and rode to win at the Dublin Racing Festival - in the entries.

That shouldn’t be viewed necessarily as a lack of confidence in Junta Marvel, though, and she looks open to more improvement than most due to her unexposed profile.

Douglas Talking

(Lucinda Russell)

Thursday: 4.15 Pigsback.com Handicap Chase (Grade B)

Dual Grand National-winning trainer Lucinda Russell has yet to notch a winner in Ireland, but she has saddled just 14 runners on these shores and her Punchestown Festival runners often show up well.

In fact, prior to a disappointing bumper runner on her last visit to the Kildare venue in 2019, all of Russell’s previous five Punchestown Festival runners earned prize money in races with an average field size of 19.4 runners.

The fact Russell has handed a couple of entries to Douglas Talking next week, including in Thursday’s Pigsback.com Handicap Chase over two miles, is an indication that he must have taken his recent run at the Aintree Grand National Festival well. That was a fine effort when second to Dancing On My Own in the Close Brothers Red Rum Handicap Chase.

He had won five of his previous eight starts over fences and could be really suited to the demands of this test at Punchestown, with spring ground up his street too.

Douglas Talking deserves a second look in a race won by another British raider Sully D’Oc AA (trained by Anthony Honeyball) two years ago. The Russell yard is in superb form.

Walking On Air

(Nicky Henderson)

Thursday: 6.00 Conway Piling Handicap Hurdle (Grade B)

Nicky Henderson is another British trainer who tends to take home his share of Euros from this meeting.

Since 2015, there have been 36 runners from Seven Barrows at the Punchestown Festival and 25 managed to collect prize money, including six winners, five seconds and six thirds.

Pertemps Final fifth Walking On Air must have a solid chance in the Conway Piling Handicap Hurdle over just shy of three miles - a race Henderson won in 2016 with Cup Final, who also came here straight after disappointing in the Pertemps at a single-figure price.

Walking On Air wasn’t good enough to match ready winner Good Time Jonny last time but he probably ran better than the bare result suggests, having been caught short of room on occasions, including after the last. That was only the seventh run of his life, and he looked as though he could possibly sharpen up for that experience in the biggest field he’s ever faced. He travelled particularly well.

Expect him to be competitive off his mark and possibly appreciate the demands of Punchestown greater than Cheltenham.