Still Standing – Entries Update

Spillane’s Tower fresh for Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup test while Fact To File on target for clash with Cheltenham hero Marine Nationale in William Hill Champion Chase
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Robcour rematch between Bob Olinger and Teahupoo still on the cards in Ladbrokes Champion Stayers’ Hurdle
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Spillane’s Tower and Fact To File spearhead the JP McManus team on the opening three days of the Punchestown Festival, which gets under way next Tuesday, April 29th.
Entries for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are now confirmed, and the mouth-watering clash between Cheltenham Queen Mother hero, Marine Nationale and Ryanair Chase victor, Fact To File is still on the cards in the GRADE 1 WILLIAM HILL CHAMPION CHASE on the opening day.

Nine horses stand their ground, including last year’s Queen Mother winner, Captain Guinness, and Energumene, who scored in the Cheltenham two-mile championship contest in 2022 and 2023.
Energumene is also a three-time Grade 1 victor at the Punchestown Festival, and if lining up, will be pursuing his third William Hill Champion Chase¸ having doubled up in both his Cheltenham Festival-winning seasons before injury ruled him out of a Spring campaign last term.

Marine Nationale was a very comfortable winner of the Cheltenham Champion Chase this year for owner/trainer Barry Connell and the lightly-raced eight-year-old is the one they all have to beat this time round. However, Energumene’s Willie Mullins stablemate, Fact To File is an intriguing entrant for champion owner JP McManus. Racing manager, Frank Berry reports the Grade 1 John Durkan Chase winner at this venue to be tip-top shape but is fully aware of the calibre of opposition. “It’s the only entry he has there,” said Berry today. “I believe he’s in good form. It won’t be easy taking on the Champion Chase winner but we’re looking forward to seeing how he gets on. It will be very interesting.”  Dual Grade 1 winner, the Joseph O’Brien-trained Solness also stands his ground, as does another Closutton inmate, Gaelic Warrior.

Susannah Ricci’s five-time Grade 1 winner also holds an entry in Wednesday’s GRADE 1 LADBROKES PUNCHESTOWN GOLD CUP and would be a fascinating participant following his triumph on a first attempt at three miles over fences in the Aintree Bowl. He is a dual winner at Punchestown, including in the Grade 1 Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle, over the maximum trip at that level two years ago.

Yet another Closutton superstar, Galopin Des Champs has yet to add the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup to his illustrious CV and is among the octet still standing, having gone out on his shield when having his three-in-a-row Cheltenham Gold Cup bid foiled by the JP McManus-owned Inothewayurthinkin. The green and gold is likely to be represented in this high-class affair by Spillane’s Tower, who like Inothewayurthinkin, is bred by the owner’s wife Noreen. Spillane’s Tower sparked major celebrations when winning the Grade 1 Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase 12 months ago. After a cracker behind Fact To File in the John Durkan at Punchestown last November, the Walk In The Park seven-year-old disappointed in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on St Stephen’s Day and he hasn’t been seen in public since.

Trainer Jimmy Mangan revealed that they were ready to get saddled in Aintree when jockey Mark Walsh reported the ground to be too quick, meaning he was withdrawn, but it’s all systems go for a return to the gelding’s happy hunting ground.
“He’s in good order and that’s the plan to go there,” Berry confirms. “The rain will help and he’s a fresh horse going there. It’ll be a hot race but he’s in good form.”
There are 16 horses that could still face the starter in the GRADE 1 LADBROKES CHAMPION STAYERS’ HURDLE.

The Fergal O’Brien-trained Grade 1 winner Crambo would be a welcome visitor, Rocky’s Diamond ran a cracker at Cheltenham for Declan Queally and is sure to progress as a five-year-old, and Home By The Lee, who is conditioned by Joseph O’Brien, is always a threat in staying events. It is the prospective rematch between Cheltenham winner Bob Olinger (Henry de Bromhead) and his predecessor and this year’s runner-up Teahupoo (Gordon Elliott) that will make the headlines.

Robcour are very well stocked in this division and de Bromhead saddled Hiddenvalley Lake in the pink, white and black to score in the Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree. He remains in contention also.
In Tuesday’s other Grade 1s, Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner, Kopek Des Bordes is the standout performer among the ten possibles at the five-day stage for the GRADE 1 KPMG CHAMPION NOVICE HURDLE. Aintree victor, Salvator Mundi is also left in the two-mile contest.

The pair are among a team of seven entered by Willie Mullins. Irancy, who scored at Grade 2 level at Fairyhouse after finishing seventh in Cheltenham, is among that cohort. He is one of two McManus runners still in contention, the other being the Colm Murphy-trained Naas maiden hurdle winner, Lovely Hurling.
“They’re both in good form,” Berry declared. “You’d love to be going there with another run in Lovely Hurling. He is also in the two and a half but they’re both intended runners so we’ll see in the next few days.”

Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase winner Lecky Watson looks likely to face top-flight opposition in the DOOLEY INSURANCE CHAMPION NOVICE CHASE. Ballyburn, Impaire Et Passe and Dancing City are among other Mullins-trained rivals he joins on the gallops during the week in the mix, while Henry de Bromhead pair Slade Steel and Gorgeous Tom, the Gordon Elliott-trained Brown Advisory runner-up Stellar Story and Ken Budds’ Jack Richards Novice Chase runner-up Anyway, are possible contestants.

There are 19 possible runners in the GRADE 1 CHANNOR REAL ESTATE GROUP NOVICE HURDLE. The Munir/Souede-owned Jasmin De Vaux is the one to beat having galloped to success in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, while The Yellow Clay would be of note if the Turners’ runner-up were to step up to three miles.
His Cullentra House compatriot, Honesty Policy scored at Grade 1 level in Aintree, at the intermediate trip, and holds multiple entries.
“He has a couple of entries, at three miles and two and a half,” Berry states. “It’s a bit up in the air about him but we’ll see what the weather is doing.”

Bambino Fever is another attempting a Cheltenham/Punchestown double in the GRADE 1 RACE & STAY AT PUNCHESTOWN INH FLAT RACE. Three horses have been taken out to leave a list of 19. Gameofinches and Copacabana are other Mullins horses apart from the favourite that could take their chances, along with Paddy Twomey’s Grade 2 Aintree winner, Seo Linn.
Majborough did remarkably well to get within three-quarters of a length of Jango Baie in the Arkle Chase at Cheltenham, after dreadful jumping errors at the last two obstacles, but Berry reports that there are no ill effects ahead of an intended tilt at Thursday’s other Grade 1, the GRADE 1 BARBERSTOWN CASTLE NOVICE CHASE.

“He’s on song for the two-mile novice chase,” says the McManus racing manager. “It was a little unfortunate at Cheltenham what happened but he still ran a good race and he was fine afterwards, not a bother on him. Willie is happy with him and he’ll go there all being well.”
There are ten horses still in contention, with Gavin Cromwell’s Arkle runner-up Only By Night, who finished just ahead of Majborough, another interesting contender with the mares’ 7lbs allowance. Impaire Et Passe (Willie Mullins) would be a threat after his two-and-a-half-mile victory at Aintree, while Rubaud (Paul Nicholls) and Brookie (Anthony Honeyball) could fly the British flag.