Punchestown Horse Racing Tips for Sunday

The ground is approaching soft with further rain forecast ahead of Punchestown's high-class eight-race jumps card on Sunday, and Racing Post tipster Dave Randall gives his best bets for the action.

Sunday's Punchestown Horse Racing Betting Tips and Odds

14:25 Punchestown – Fact To File @ 2/1
15:00 Punchestown – Well Dressed @ 9/4
15:32 Punchestown – Soir de Garde @ 4/5

14:25 Punchestown – Fact To File @ 2/1

Nine runners are set to go to post for a cracking edition of the 150,000 euros Grade 1 2m3.5f John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase (2.25) on Sunday afternoon.

Willie Mullins has won seven runnings since 2014 through four different horses, namely Djakadam, Min, Allaho and Galopin Des Champs, and the last-named horse is bidding to win this prize back after finishing third behind the reopposing Fastorslow in 2023.

Fastorslow ran to a Racing Post Rating (RPR) of 163 when successful but that level of form is unlikely to be good enough this time around. Galopin Des Champs registered a 172 RPR when victorious in 2022.

Both horses' wins came on soft ground when fresh, and both are capable of even stronger form on their day. Galopin Des Champs is capable of much stronger form, but when he was successful in 2022 this race came slightly later in the calendar in mid-December.

Of the two, Galopin Des Champs is preferred, particularly at the prices, but with this the start of a long season potentially building up to a historic third Gold Cup success, you just wonder how high up the list of priorities this early skirmish over a shorter trip lies.

Mullins has four other runners, too, with the clear pick based on form and potential being Fact To File. The first part of our big-race analysis indicates that a 172+ RPR may be required to land the spoils and Fact To File is considered capable of achieving that standard this weekend.

The seven-year-old Poliglote gelding, and former Irish point winner, arrives 3-4 over regulation fences, 3-4 on soft ground and 3-4 for Sunday's jockey Mark Walsh. He was last seen winning the Grade 1 extended 3m Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham festival in March, but has the speed and jumping accuracy to be effective over shorter trips, and won a Leopardstown bumper after nearly a year off the track in December 2022.

He achieved an RPR of 166 as a novice and this early-season target is well within range given the likelihood of further improvement as he enters open company.

15:00 Punchestown – Well Dressed @ 9/4

Nine runners are also set to go to post for the 2m1f Novice Handicap Hurdle (3.00) and, on what could be a good day for J P McManus and his retained rider Mark Walsh, Well Dressed is worth backing entering handicap company on a suitably testing surface from an exploitable mark of 113.

The well-bred selection ended last season with a much improved third over just shy of this trip on heavy ground at Navan. The Westerner mare is open to more improvement and it seems significant that the reopposing Union Station, who heads the weights, was about four lengths behind Well Dressed on the same terms on that occasion.

15:32 Punchestown – Soir de Garde @ 4/5

Finally, five of the last seven winners of the extended 2m bumper (3.32) that concludes the card have achieved a higher RPR than the form standard set by W B Easy, so the way is potentially clear for an above average newcomer to make a winning debut. Step forward Soir de Garde, representing Wilie Mullins.

The selection is a half-brother to the top-class 2m-2m3f hurdle winner State Man for the same stable, among other winners, out of a French 2m2f hurdle (inc. Listed)/chase) winner, so he looks the part on paper.

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.