William Hill Champion Chase (Tues 29 April)
10th Apr 2025
10th Apr 2025
Marine Nationale “in super form” ahead of possible joust with Fact To File in mouth-watering William Hill Champion Chase
WILLIAM HILL CHAMPION CHASE
(Tuesday, April 29th – 13 entries)
The winners of the last four Queen Mother Champion Chases have been given the option of running in the William Hill Champion Chase, which looks like getting the Punchestown Festival off to a stupendous start.
Energumene (2022, 2023), Captain Guinness (2024) and the new kingpin, Marine Nationale are all included in a mouth-watering list. And if that wasn’t enough to get the juices flowing, Willie Mullins has included easy Ryanair Chase victor, Fact To File for what would be an intriguing look at the minimum trip after scoring so readily over 2m5f last March.
Fact To File won the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown over the intermediate trip in November but Marine Nationale is undoubtedly the one they all have to beat after his stunning exhibition of jumping and closing speed at Cheltenham.
“He’s great, in super form,” declares owner/trainer Barry Connell. “He came out of the race brilliant. He didn’t have much of a blow after the race. I think he was the easiest winner of the whole week and he’s come out of the race in super shape.
“He hasn’t had an over-taxing season really. We’ve been building up to the spring festivals so we’re looking forward to him going to Punchestown. Hopefully we get the usual nice spring ground, which will suit him well.
“The big thing with him was that he came into the season basically still a novice, lacking a lot of experience, and he was being pitched in against battle-hardened chasers and it’s a difficult thing to do, particularly in the two-mile division, where jumping accuracy is so important.
“He kicked off low-key in Naas. That was a big stepping stone. His two runs at Leopardstown were really good. He jumped well and as he usually does when he goes to Cheltenham, he comes alive, loves the place. It was all building towards getting the experience and fitness and everything came together at Cheltenham.
“His jumping was exemplary and it took him into the race without any great effort. And then the usual thing he does, when he jumps the last at Cheltenham, he just takes off.
“We couldn’t be happier with him now looking forward to Punchestown, and whatever turns up, we’ll be happy to take them on.”
William Hill Champion Chase (Grade 1) €300,000 (2m 98y – 5yo+)
1 Banbridge (JPO’Brien)
2 Blood Destiny (FR) (WPMullins)
3 Captain Guinness (HdeBromhead)
4 Edwardstone (GB) (AKing)
5 El Fabiolo (FR) (WPMullins)
6 Energumene (FR) (WPMullins)
7 Fact To File (FR) (WPMullins)
8 Gaelic Warrior (GER) (WPMullins)
9 Il Etait Temps (FR) (WPMullins)
10 Jungle Boogie (HdeBromhead)
11 Marine Nationale (BConnell)
12 Senecia (VLHalley)
13 Solness (FR) (JPO’Brien)
TUESDAY, APRIL 29TH – ADDITIONAL GRADE 1 RACES
There are 21 entries for the KPMG CHAMPION NOVICE HURDLE with the first of Willie Mullins’ ten Cheltenham winners, Kopek Des Bordes top of the pile.
The Supreme Novices’ winner brought joy to owner Charlie McCarthy and his family and while they would love to double up, they face significant challenges from within their own camp, and outside it.
Stablemate Salvator Mundi delivered on his promise at Aintree, while Henry de Bromhead’s Workahead is much better than he showed at Cheltenham, where he raced very freely.
Fergal O’Brien could saddle Tripoli Flyer, while one has to take note when Colm Murphy pitches one in at this level, as may be the case with Lovely Hurling.
The KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle
(Grade 1) €125,000 ( 2m 149y – 5yo+ )
1 Belloccio (FR) (WPMullins)
2 Ethical Diamond (WPMullins)
3 Fleetfoot (JSBolger)
4 Gaucher (GB) (WPMullins)
5 Irancy (FR) (WPMullins)
6 Kalix Delabarriere (FR) (WPMullins)
7 Karbau (FR) (WPMullins)
8 Karniquet (FR) (WPMullins)
9 Kopek Des Bordes (FR) (WPMullins)
10 Lovely Hurling (CAMurphy)
11 Runcok (FR) (WPMullins) (139)
12 Salvator Mundi (FR) (WPMullins)
13 Tripoli Flyer (FO’Brien(inGB))
14 Whinney Hill (GB) (GElliott)
15 Workahead (HdeBromhead)
16 Zoffman (NMeade)
The DOOLEYS INSURANCE GROUP CHAMPION NOVICE CHASE has attracted 17 entries. Lecky Watson heads the Mullins team of nine, after his brilliant victory in the Brown Advisory Chase at Cheltenham, with stablemate Ballyburn likely to be given a chance to prove his disappointment was an aberration. Champ Kiely, Dancing City and Ile Atlantique are other possible Mullins contestants.
The Ken Budds-trained Anyway chased home Caldwell Potter in the Grade 2 Jack Richards Novices’ Handicap Chase at Cheltenham and that form was franked when the winner registered a very impressive Grade 1 triumph at Aintree. Anyway could be ready to go to another level, while the Gordon Elliott duo Better Days Ahead and Stellar Story, and Henry de Bromhead’s duo, Slade Steel and Gorgeous Tom are others of note.
British trainer, Polly Gundry has entered Don’t Rightly Know while the Bowe family might be tempted to run impressive beginners’ chase winner Linden Arden, trained by Philip Fenton.
Gavin Cromwell could saddle Bioluminescence, a Grade 2 mares’ novice chase winner who ran a blinder behind Dancing City in Naas before chasing home Spindleberry at Fairyhouse in February.
“Bioluminescence is very ground-dependent,” warns Cromwell, however. “She’s entered in the Irish Grand National as well. She’s in great form and we’d love to be running her but while the ground isn’t as important at the three-mile trip, she loves soft ground.
“They always do a good job at Punchestown and I know they are watering. As far as I can tell too, after every dry spell comes a wet spell, so we’re a long way away yet and you wouldn’t know what might happen with the weather and we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Dooley Insurance Champion Novice Chase (Grade 1) €125,000 (3m 213y – 5yo+)
1 Anyway (GER) (DKBudds)
2 Ballyburn (WPMullins)
3 Better Days Ahead (GElliott)
4 Bioluminescence (GCromwell)
5 Champ Kiely (WPMullins)
6 Dancing City (FR) (WPMullins)
7 Don’t Rightly Know (GB) (PGundry)
8 Fun Fun Fun (WPMullins)
9 Gorgeous Tom (HdeBromhead)
10 High Class Hero (GB) (WPMullins)
11 Ile Atlantique (FR) (WPMullins)
12 Impaire Et Passe (FR) (WPMullins)
13 Lecky Watson (WPMullins)
14 Linden Arden (PFenton)
15 Quai De Bourbon (FR) (WPMullins)
16 Slade Steel (HdeBromhead)
17 Stellar Story (GElliott)
