Jane Mangan: Back Ballyburn to bounce back at Punchestown

Extra.ie​

29-04-2025

At this week's Punchestown Festival, there will be 12 Grade One races run. Over the past three years here, of the 36 Grade One prizes up for grabs, Willie Mullins won 26 of the 36 – expect more of the same this year.
Tuesday's opening card of what should be a great and enjoyable week also boasts plenty of overseas runners, which is exactly what Punchestown would have wanted.
There are 10 in the second race, for example, 16 in total from the UK on the day one card, which is a great result for Punchestown, who do a lot of work recruiting competition from overseas. The Punchestown Festival gets underway on Tuesday. Pic: Michael Chester
It's great to see – we have good prize money and it's the end of the year, so there's nothing to lose for the raiders. With Rebecca Curtis having won the Irish National it shows that you can come here and win – we're not unstoppable at home.
Where to begin? Let's start with the Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase (4.50), over three miles, one furlong, won last year by Spillane's Tower.
This time around, Mullins is mob-handed. He has five of the nine declared runners and Paul Townend has opted to stay loyal to Ballyburn. Paul Townend on Ballyburn jumps the water during The Brown Advisory Novices' Steeple Chase at Cheltenham. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Despite how disappointing he was when being beaten by his stablemate Lecky Watson in the Brown Advisory at the Cheltenham Festival, I believe they will change tactics this time around. He didn't enjoy being restrained at Cheltenham, he jumped poorly, and I think under positive tactics, riding him forward, we could see a different beast here on Tuesday.
The horse that wowed us at Leopardstown and impressed so much last year over hurdles, Ballyburn, is better than we saw at Cheltenham and he's going to prove it at Punchestown on Tuesday. Another highlight of the day is the race which precedes that, the two-mile KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle at 4.15.
Willie Mullins' Supreme Novices' winner Kopek Des Bordes meets his Grade One Aintree winner Salvator Mundi. They clashed at Cheltenham in the Supreme when Salvator Mundi was beaten in to fifth. Paul Towned on Kopek Des Bordes in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
I think Kopek Des Bordes is the best novice hurdler that we've seen this season, and he's going to confirm that by making it three Grade Ones in a row under Paul Townend here.
It's a small field of six runners, which probably reflects the fact that nobody really wants to take on Kopek Des Bordes. All this builds towards the feature race of the day – the William Hill Champion Chase (6.0). Barry Connell's Queen Mother winner Marine Nationale is out to prove that Cheltenham wasn't a fluke.
I think he's going to be up against it though, with a very interesting move, as Fact To File drops back down to the minimum trip.
Despite winning the Ryanair Chase over two and a half miles last month, and being so good in defeat behind Galopin Des Champs over three miles before that, connections have decided to drop him back down to the Champion Chase trip of two miles. Mark Walsh on Fact To File jump the last on their way to victory at Cheltenham. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
I think he's got that much class, the class that we saw when he beat Spillane's Tower, Galopin Des Champs, Fastorslow and Inothe – wayurthinkin around this track in November over two miles and three furlongs. He has got that level of talent and I think that Fact To File will prove that this distance is no barrier to success for him, and he will dethrone the Cheltenham champion.
The third race on the card is the Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle (3.40) and it's a really competitive race over two miles. I like Lark In The Mornin here – he's still well handicapped in my eyes. He won the Fred Winter last year at Cheltenham off a mark of 122.
While he disappointed behind Kargese in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham last time, I think he's a much better horse than that run.
I think the drying ground will enhance his chances and a mark of 130 is very workable. Lark In the Mornin is going to take a lot of beating here. Lark In The Mornin, with JJ Slevin up, on their way to winning the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2024. Pic: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
Probably the most difficult race of the day for a punter is the Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Final Handicap Hurdle (3.05) with a maximum field of 25. A lot of UK form in here but I'm going to side with a horse called Hartur D'arc.
It's very encouraging that Keith Donoghue has opted to ride this one out of the three that Gavin Cromwell has running here.
For Keith to get down to 11 stone is him not eating for a week, so it must be significant that he has felt it's worth coming down to his minimum weight to ride Hartur D'arc.
The other thing to note is that Hartur D'arc's chase rating is 140 but his hurdles rating, which he's running off, is 118, so he's theoretically 22 pounds well in. I think that should make him very hard to beat. Sean Flanagan on Hartur D'arc at Fairyhouse in 2024. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
In the Goffs Defender Bumper (5.25), there is one I think is interesting. It's a notoriously difficult race to assess and a lot of it comes down to luck in running. I finished second and third but never managed to win it as a rider – let's hope I can find the winner this year!
I doubt I ever rode a horse as well bred as Leader Des Bordes, which Patrick Mullins will be riding for his dad, Willie.
This French-bred is a half-brother to Kopek Des Bordes and Utopie Des Bordes, cost €210,000 as a store and I think Michael O'Leary will be hoping that his new acquisition could turn into something nearly as good as his brother.