Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup: Runner by Runner Preview

1. Al Boum Photo

DUAL Gold Cup champion Al Boum Photo began his usual path to Cheltenham by winning his fourth Savills Chase at Tramore in January. He still showed a great turn of foot for a stayer. He finished a respectable sixth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last month, but was near the back of a chasing group of horses who were in the picture before A Plus Tard showed devastating speed in the closing stages. Al Boum Photo has twice finished runner-up in this race, finishing just over a length behind Clan Des Obeaux in last year’s renewal and 17 lengths ahead of Joseph O’Brien’s Fakir D’oudairies. Both run again here and Willie Mullins’ charge will wear cheekpieces again after their first use last time out at Cheltenham.

2. Allaho

THE reigning Ryanair Chase champion is stepping up to three miles for the first time since finishing a distant fourth in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown in 2020. Kemboy, who also runs here, finished a close second to A Plus Tard on that occasion. Since then Allaho has five wins in six starts, all over a distance of two and a half miles and he has course form having won the grade one John Durkan in December last year. Mullins has opted for the three mile race at Punchestown as there isn’t the option of a race over two and a half miles and he thinks the stamina test will suit his powerful front runner.

3. Clan Des Obeaux

PAUL Nicholls’ multiple grade one winner has followed a similar pattern in form to last season. He ran bravely at Kempton, finishing third in the King George VI Chase in testing conditions and finished third at Newbury, before landing his second Betway Bowl success at Aintree earlier this month. Much like last season, the success came after the application of new headgear and he will wear blinkers again this time around. Last year’s renewal means Nicholls’ runner has form ahead of the likes of Al Boum Photo, Fakir D’oudairies and Kemboy who all go again here.

4. Fakir D’oudairies

LAST year’s third in this race, Fakir D’oudairies showed impressive stamina and turn of foot when winning the Melling Chase at Aintree earlier this month. He has never beaten Allaho in the three starts he has met the Ryanair champion, so the decision was made to avoid Cheltenham and it paid off. The performance was an impressive one, finishing five-and-a-half lengths ahead of Hitman, a horse who consistently places in graded company. He can win on soft going as he showed when beating Two For Gold in the Ascot Chase, where conditions arguably favoured his rival. In a field deep in quality however, it may help his chances if the rain stays away here. At only seven years old O’Brien’s grade one winner is improving.

5. Galvin

CHELTENHAM Gold Cup fourth Galvin is a class staying chaser whose season started with a win at Punchestown. He was then defeated by multiple grade one winner Frodon before beating A Plus Tard by a short head in the grade one Savills Chase at Leopardstown in December. A Plus Tard went on to win the Gold Cup, reversing form over Gordon Elliot’s horse but the race wasn’t ran at a great pace. This horse thrives on a true test of stamina, with a win over three miles six furlongs at last year’s Cheltenham Festival great proof of that. If Allaho leads and forces the field to go at an honest pace it will help Galvin’s cause.

6. Janidil

RUNNER-UP to Allaho at Cheltenham where he finished 14 lengths behind the impressive winner in the Ryanair Chase. Janidil’s last run was just nine days ago in the grade two Devenish Chase at Fairyhouse, where he suffered a heavy fall halfway through the race. He steps back up to three miles here for the first time since finishing third to Conflated in the Irish Gold Cup in February where he finished in third, a neck behind Minella Indo in second and over five lengths ahead of Kemboy in fifth. He often places in top class races but his last win came in April last year in the Gold Cup Novices’ Chase at Fairyhouse.

7. Kemboy

AT his best Kemboy is an Irish Gold Cup winner, but he hasn’t won since that result last season. His best effort this season was a respectable third just 3/4 of a length behind Galvin and A Plus Tard in the grade one Savills Chase in December. He was last seen finishing third in the Betway Bowl earlier this month, where he finished nine lengths behind the eventual winner Clan Des Obeaux. He matched the winner until Paul Nicholls’ runner started pulling away halfway down the straight. He will wear cheekpieces for the first time.

8. Minella Indo

THE 2021 Gold Cup winner started the season slowly but finished the runner-up in both the Irish Gold Cup and the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He took strong hold of the race at Cheltenham going into the straight but stablemate A Plus Tard quickened away impressively. Minella Indo’s jockey, Robbie Power, has said that A Plus Tard was unbeatable, especially once he drew level in the closing stages due to his finishing speed. If he can reproduce that form, Henry De Bromhead’s runner should be in the picture here. He will wear a tongue-tie for the first time.

9. Tornado Flyer

THIS horse has form ahead of Clan Des Obeaux and Minella Indo after winning the King George VI Chase in December at odds of 28/1. The win came in a race where conditions were extreme on stamina-sapping ground. He was pulled up in his following run in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last month, and multiple runners here have recorded form finishing ahead of this horse. He is unlikely to get a repeat of such tough conditions here.

My Verdict

CLAN DES OBEAUX comes into this race as the defending champion with form ahead of many of his most challenging rivals and is hitting all the same trends that led to last year’s success. Paul Nicholls’ runner has yet again flourished late in the season and new headgear could offer some improvement necessary to take on an improved field compared to what he faced last season. FAKIR D’OUDAIRIES has showed great improvement in the second half of the season and his strong finish at Aintree might suggest he will get the three-mile-trip much better this time around. ALLAHO although is a top class horse has achieved his best results exclusively at two-and-a-half miles. His improvement has been staggering, but it might be that he leads for the race, setting an honest gallop, before being picked off by the strong, more established three-milers in the closing stages. His victories have come by running a post-to-post gallop and an extra half a mile is a lot.

My Picks

COMBINATION TRICAST

WIN – Clan Des Obeaux

EACH WAY – Fakir D’0udairies