STEPHEN HARRIS’ TUESDAY PUNCHESTOWN TIPS

Joseph O’Brien’s classy chaser has an excellent overall strike rate (four wins from seven starts over fences), and simply found the testing ground conditions against him when well below par behind Protektorat in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham festival.

He is a smooth traveller with an excellent turn of foot when the cards fall right (as illustrated by a very impressive performance on the bridle at Kempton in January), and his relative freshness at this stage of the jumps season could be a real asset on improving spring ground (with the drop back in trip unlikely to be an issue).

Paul Nolan’s unexposed maiden chaser has yet to win in four runs so far over fences, but he has been very highly tried and shaped a lot better than the bare result when fourth behind Fact to File at the Cheltenham festival in March (winner now correctly among the favourites for the 2025 Gold Cup).

His two wins over hurdles both came at this unique venue on good to yielding ground, and the improved weather in the last week or so in Ireland has certainly come at the right time for his prospects on Tuesday.

Willie Mullins highly regarded novice pulled much too hard again when disappointing at Aintree over 2m4f on deep ground last time out, but he could be a different proposition here if allowed to stride on from the front dropping back down to a bare two miles.

He remains with plenty of upside in this sphere after just five runs over hurdles (big engine/held in the highest regard at home), and there is no doubt about his talent if it can be channelled more efficiently (with some better spring ground a definite positive).