Punchestown Day 5 Tips – CopyBet

The final instalment of Grade 1 action from peerless Punchestown this week is the Ballymore Champion Four Year Old Hurdle and it's a race Nicky Henderson has an excellent affinity with. The Seven Barrows supremo first won this with Katarino back in 1999 and has further embellished his record in seeing Punjabi (2007), Grandouet (2011) and Fusil Raffles (2019) add their names to the honours list.

Now Henderson will be hoping that LULAMBA can exact some revenge on his Triumph Hurdle conqueror Poniros. The 100/1 Cheltenham winner, trained by Willie Mullins, landed very late on the scene, stuck his neck in front and allowed Lulamba no time to respond. James Bowen replaces the injured Nico de Boinville on Lulamba now and he'll be very much in tune to the danger presented by Poniros, allowing him to ride accordingly. Lulamba is a strong fancy to avenge that Cotswolds defeat and showcase his long-term potential.

We've already seen a decent helping of British successes at Punchestown this week in handicaps and Lucinda Russell will have her eyes fixed firmly on another with YOUR OWN STORY in the Oaklodgelandscapes.ie Handicap Chase. The Edinburgh-based dual Grand National-winning trainer has enjoyed a decent spring, including a Cheltenham Festival winner, and this stamina-laden nine-year-old should be well suited to this contest over a trip just shy of four miles.

He was runner-up here behind The Gradual Slope 12 months ago, well clear of the remainder but just unable to repel the final challenger in conceding him a stone. Your Own Story is back in Ireland for the first time since and is going to compete again from a mark of 125, as he did last year. He was second in the Borders National at Kelso over this sort of trip in December and ran well afterwards in the Welsh National at Chepstow, finishing sixth. The Eider Chase at Newcastle witnessed a rare below-par run but he arrives here after a good Kelso second behind stablemate Cadell in March. The first-time visor he wore that afternoon is retained and Patrick Wadge's mount looks set for another big showing at Punchestown.

It's a mild surprise to find JAZZY MATTY forecast as one of the outsiders in the betting for the Listed Lawlor's Of Naas Handicap Hurdle. He became a dual Cheltenham Festival winner in March, adding the Grand Annual to his 2023 Fred Winter success. The now Cian Collins-trained six-year-old has mostly been chasing this term but ran pleasing races at Thurles and Fairyhouse over the smaller obstacles either side of that Cotswolds win.

He was beaten less than five lengths in a similar race to this at Fairyhouse during their Easter Festival over shorter and having won over 2m5f at Sligo earlier in the season over fences, he appeals as one that is not exposed at this trip and he can race from an unchanged hurdles mark of 125 now, 10lb lower than the perch he defied at Cheltenham. He was doing all his best work late on at Fairyhouse and given he has only had three runs since October, it hasn't been a busy time for him. The ex-Gordon Elliott inmate may be underestimated here.