Punchestown Saturday preview & tips: Timeform best bets
By Adam Houghton
19:50 · FRI April 30, 2021
Adam Houghton outlines the Timeform view on the action on the fifth and final day of the Punchestown Festival.
Punchestown Festival tips: Saturday May 1
Concertista in 3.20 Punchestown
Willie Mullins has been utterly dominant at Punchestown this week and looks to hold another strong hand in the Coolmore Kew Gardens Irish EBF Mares Champion Hurdle (15:20), the first of two Grade 1 events on the final day of the meeting.
Mullins is responsible for four of the nine runners as he seeks an eighth success in the race since 2010, including the 2019 runner-up Stormy Ireland, who has returned to her former stable after a spell with Paul Nicholls which included a few tries over fences. She proved at least as good as ever on her first start back in Ireland when winning a Grade 2 contest at Fairyhouse last time, making all the running to beat the smart French Dynamite by a length and a qua
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Rachael Blackmore reunites with Honeysuckle for the featured race of the day at Punchestown.
A winner at Cheltenham’s Champion Hurdle this year, Honeysuckle is the odds on favourite for the Punchestown Champion Hurdle at 5.25pm today.
The Henry De Bromhead trained mare is undefeated in her 11 trips, all of which Blackmore has been onboard for.
The Killenaule native has five rides today in the eight race card, which gets underway at 3.40pm.
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The 12/1 Punchestown treble that could kickstart your weekend today
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Honeysuckle and jockey Rachael Blackmore clear the last on their way to winning the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham );
16:15 - DOSTAL PHIL (9/2)
The British raiders have been doing well this week and its obvious the connections involved didn t make the trip to make up the numbers. Dostal Phil was third in a race where Thursday winner Sully D oc Aa was second (separated by less than two lengths) at Aintree last month. The form of that race is clearly working out well and Dostal Phil can keep the trend going.
UPDATED 8:03PM, APR 30 2021
And breathe. Between the second-last and about 100 yards from the last this looked like being a lap of honour for Honeysuckle; a glorious homecoming with no residue from her resplendent Cheltenham exertions.
But then it dawned on us. This is Punchestown and Willie Mullins lets you win nothing around here without fighting for it, so Sharjah sneaked out of the pack to try to spoil the party. But, boy, does this girl know how to fight.
The unbeaten sequence was in serious danger as she slowed right up into the final flight, her advantage diminishing from five lengths to one in the blink of an eye, and Sharjah seemed to have all the momentum.