Longchamp - Sunday May 11th Guineas day in Paris with the Poulains for the colts and the Pouliches for the fillies. 16 went to post for the Poule d'Essai des Poulains (to give the race its proper title) over the round mile. The British and Irish raiders looked to dominate with HENRI MATISSE favourite for Ballydoyle and JONQUIL, AOMORI CITY and DETAIN among the British raiders. They went like scalded cats here and of the pacesetters only JONQUIL got home making his a noteworthy effort. Ryan Moore isn't one of the world's great jockeys for no reason and he didn't panic as they went off in front of him and nor was he tempted to waste ground down the outside but stayed near the rail to save ground and energy. JONQUIL came back at HENRI MATISSE when the latter challenged and there wasn't much in it at the jamstick.  HENRI MATISSE had disappointed here in the Jean Luc Lagardere behind CAMILLE PISSARRO but got his revenge here for all the third ran a decent race. I thought the fifth, RIDARI, was unlucky not to be third as the gaps closed 50m from the post and Barzalona had to snatch up the Fontainebleau winner who ran with credit.  As said, JONQUIL ran a blinder and his quote of 10s for the St James's Palace looks generous beside the 5s for HENRI MATISSE. JONQUIL had won the Greenham but saw out the mile really well and I'm sure he;ll be there or thereabouts at Ascot. DETAIN ran well for the Gosdens and was only beaten two and a half lengths in sixth. He and LUTHER (fourth) ran close to their previous Chelmsford form. They ran 1 minute 33.91 seconds - 1.3 seconds below Standard time - so this was a strong pace on decent ground which always helps boost the value of the form. On then to the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches with 13 fillies over the mile. ZARIGANA went off 4/5 but she faced the filly she had only beaten narrowly in the Grotte, the Charlie Fellowes trained SHE'S PERFECT who was 18/1. A race not without incident or controversy. SHE'S PERFECT made every yard and passed the post in front only to lose the race in the stewards' room to ZARIGANA. To say that decision caused a bit of friction at the track would not be an understatement. The rules in France are NOT the same as in the UK or Ireland where SHE'S PERFECT would probably have kept the race. The fact is SHE'S PERFECT drifted left despite Kieren Shoemark having the whip in his left (correct) hand. His corrective measures notwithstanding, both EXACTLY and ZARIGANA were carried left and suffered interference and under French rules the stewards had no option but to demote SHE'S PERFECT. We also had Barzalona dropping his whip on ZARIGANA and having to resort ro some unorthodox hand slaps to keep the filly going. A messy finish with the first five split by a length and a half and arguably both EXACTLY (fourth) and BETTER TOGETHER (fidth) are the two to take from the race but ZARIGANA has her name in the record books and she's just 3s for the Coronation Stakes at Ascot as well as having an early Arc entry. Graffard trained the winner and the third, the Vanteaux winner, MANDANABA and earlier had enjoyed a 1-2 in the Saint-Alary which used to be a Group 1 but was downgraded in the winter. The winner, GEZORA, had run third in the Vanteaux but appeared the second string to AUDUBON PARK but the latter didn't seem as effective on the quicker ground and was readily held by her stable mate. Leopardstown - Sunday May 11th Aidan O'Brien had four of the five runners in the Group 3 Derby Trial over 2000m but all went to plan as DELACROIX scored at 1/3 and became 5/2 favourite for the Derby. This was a strong performance in a race which has been such a powerful indicator in recent times. The second, PURVIEW, from the Weld stable, ran with credit and is 33/1 for Epsom - I look forward to seeing him develop as the season progresses. VESPERTILIO had campaigned strongly as a juvenile and went off 5/4 favourite to win the Group 3 over 1400m for the older fillies and mares but she disappointed in a race won by VERA'S SECRET for John James Teane, one of the smaller group of trainers based at The Curragh.

Will you be there on Saturday Insider?

For trainer Brad Cox, there's one of two distinctly different ways to win the $250,000 Pimlico Special (G3).View the full article

America's Best Racing provides a quick look and thoughts on Preakness (G1) field.View the full article

Chester May Meeting - Wednesday May 7th - Friday May 9th The Chester May meeting is a highlight of the North West England social calendar. The track is idiosyncractic at best - not as sharp as Taupo but it's barely 1500m round. The opening day saw the main 3-y-o trial races and Aidan O'Brien won them both. Eight went in the Group 3 Chester Vase for the colts over 2400m. Aidan looked to have the two main contenders in LAMBOURN and THRICE and the former earned a 14/1 quote with a nice win. He was behind DELACROIX at Leopardstown and I'd be surprised if he was in front of him at Epsom in all honesty but this was a nice effort. The Cheshire Oaks is a Listed race these days and despite this being only her third outing, MINNIE HAUK showed plenty of determination to prevail over  SECRET OF LOVE and earn a 7/1 quote for the English Oaks. The runner up is in the Ribblesdale and the Irish Oaks and could yet be improving. The second day of the meeting continued the O'Brien dominance - in the Group 3 Ormonde over 2600m ILLINOIS stayed on too well for AL QAREEM and ABSURDE to earn a 6/1 quote for the Coronation Cup and, more significantly, a 7/1 quote for the Gold Cup at Ascot. Whether he can deal with KYPRIOS over 4000m in mid June remains to be seen but with LOS ANGELES represents a potent middle distance team for Ballydoyle. MOUNT KILIMANJARO won the Listed Dee over 2050m to earn a 20/1 quote for the English Derby. He didn't convince me and I think the runner up, HIGH STOCK, looks full of promise having won the Wood Ditton (for unraced 3-y-o) at Newmarket in mid April. The final day saw Triumph Hurdle third EAST INDIA DOCK land a gamble in the 3650m Chester Cup but the Group 2 Huxley saw a strong return to form for THE FOXES who, to be fair, had mixed it with the likes of ROMANTIC WARRIOR in Sha Tin last December and with REBEL'S ROMANCE in Bahrain last time. He won this race well and could be ready for another go at Group 1 company. - he's 16s for the Prince of Wales and 66s for the Eclipse. SPACE LEGEND disappointed, pulling hard off a long break but I'll give him another try on the strength of his 2024 form over 2400m. LIngfield - Saturday May 10th The ground was Good to Firm for the Derby and Oaks Trials meetings but that made no difference to the Ballydoyle bandwagon which rolled on relentlessly through Surrey. The Derby Trial over 2350m is often a credential trial for Epsom given the similarities in the course configurations especially with the downhill left hand turn into the straight. It was a 1-2 for O'Brien with the favourite PUPPET MASTER just holding STAY TRUE with the others well held. The winner is 25/1 for Epsom but the second, who was only having his second run, looks the better long term prospect and I note he is in the Irish Derby. The Oaks Trial is a shadow of the race which regularly provided winners in the 60s and 70s - just three turned up and GISELLE went off 3/10 and sauntered home by nine lengths to earn a 10/1 quote for the English Oaks. I think that flatters her somewhat and I'd be surprised if she's a classic winner.

Other Meetings: Navan - Saturday April 26th Soft ground and the first signs the Aidan O'Brien machine was cranking into gear with a treble for the master of Ballydoyle. KYPRIOS returned with a win at 1/7 in the 2800m Vintage Crop but for a horse 20 lb or more ahead on the figures, he made hard work of it though doubtless it will have blown away the cobwebs. He's in the Levmoss at Leopardstown tomorrow evening and is currently Evens for the Ascot Gold Cup. WHISTLEJACKET also won on seasonal debut and again didn't look fully wound up but had enough in hand to win a 1200m Listed. He's in the Commonwealth Cup at Ascot (10s) and the King Charles III (14s) and in the latter he would meet the experienced sprinters but in receipt of a lot of weight. The most impressive winner of the O'Brien treble was the juvenile CHARLES DARWIN (No Nay Never - Muirin ex Born to Sea) who, having disappointed when 4/6 on his Curragh debut, bolted up by five lengths over 1200m. I presume he'll head for the Coventry at Ascot. WEMIGHTTAKEDLONGWAY earned a 25/1 quote for the English Oaks after a good win in the Group 3 Salsabil over 2000m. She was five lengths behind DELACROIX in the Ballysax but that looks decent form (as I'll report later). Longchamp - Sunday April 27th: The first French Group 1 was the Ganay over 2050m with MAP OF STARS sent off 6/5 following wins in the Exbury and the Harcourt and now facing serious Group 1 opposition in the form of SOSIE who had won the Grand Prix de Paris and been favourite for the Arc where he had finished fourth. A strong return from a class act and whether he'll head back for another tilt at the Arc I don't now but SOSIE is a very good horse based on this performance. He had to work hard to hold off MAP OF STARS who was produced to challenge but, despite race fitness. he couldn't get by. ROYAL RHYME took a keen hold but didn't get the gap when Clifford Lee wanted and by the time the gap appeared, he had used too much petrol. AL RIFFA was a shade disappointing in fourth. On the undercard, the Vermeille and Arc runner up AVENTURE returned with an emphatic win in the Allez France, a Group 3 for the fillies and mares over 2050m. She's 6s for the Coronation Cup at Epsom and of course has an Arc entry. She remains one to follow. Ascot - Wednesday April 30th Unseasonably quick ground for the opening Flat meeting of the season billed as "Trials Day" for the Royal meeting though that's a bit of a misnomer. In the Group 3 Sagaro over 3200m, COLTRANE went off 4/6 in a field of just four but he was outpointed by YASHIN, who is now with Michael Bell after being with Jessie Harrington. YASHIN is rated 103 so if we've seen a Gold Cup winner, I'd be very surprised. The Group 3 Pavilion over 1200m looked a competitive heat with ten runners and they went 7/2 the field but with a couple of the fancied horses running poorly, BIG MOJO, who had been a speedy juvenile, saw out the trip well. He was fourth in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint when last seen having previously won the Molecomb and run a close fourth in the Gimcrack. He's 14s for the Commonwealth Cup and 25s for the King Charles III though I suspect the former will be the path taken. The disappointments included REBEL'S GAMBLE and ELECTROLYTE, both useful as juveniles, but filled the last two places here. Curragh - Monday May 5th: The feature of the Bank Holiday card was the Group 2 Mooresbridge which saw LOS ANGELES defeat WHITE BIRCH by just a neck. To be fair, although WHITE BIRCH looked to be travelling well 400m out, it was Ryan Moore on LOS ANGELES, with his proven stamina, who found extra and you always sensed he would hold on.  LOS ANGELES was third in the Arc (we've seen how SOSIE, who finished behind him, and AVENTURE, who finished in front of him, have both won) and a return to Paris in the autumn seems likely but he's 5s for both the Coronation Cup (2400m) and the Prince of Wales (2000m) and it'll be fascinating to see how he is campaigned by Aidan this season. This was WHITE BIRCH's first run in nearly a year - in fact, since he beat AUGUSTE RODIN in the Tattersalls Gold Cup. This was a strong return and whether he stays over 2000m or goes up in trip, he will be a presence in the middle distance races.

That was part of the grand plan (by RACE) when the apartment/commercial deal was announced. Of course the deal was shelved with the change of government but it will still in the back of their minds. 

This is the story of an obscure big-league baseball journeyman from a half-century ago and the Preakness Stakes (G1) horse that bears his name. Gosger the horse is a gray/roan colt named for the largely forgotten player, Jim Gosger.View the full article

Newmarket Guineas Festival - Friday May 2nd to Sunday May 4th The Guineas meeting at Newmarket is the meeting which often sets key formlines for most of the first half of the season if not beyond. The meeting opened on watered Good ground with the first day feature the Group 2 Jockey Club Stakes over 2400m. Just four went to post with the Godolphin runner SILVER KNOTT sent off 10/11 favourite in front of AMBIENTE FRIENDLY and BELLUM JUSTUM. Down into the Dip with 300m to go and I thought SILVER KNOTT was going to prevail but Oisin Murphy got a run out of BELLUM JUSTUM (in first time cheekpieces) up the hill to lead close home and win well.  Clearly, BELLUM JUSTUM had come on a lot for his Newbury run in mid April and he looks a decent middle distance prospect. He's 25s for the Coronation Cup at Epsom which could be a strong renewal. SILVER KNOTT did little wrong - possibly over raced a little early on. He was campaigned in America last summer and that might be the same again this year. AMBIENTE FRIENDLY, as he can do, raced far too keenly and was tailed off. He really needs a strong gallop and a big field which he won't often get at this level. On the undercard, COSMIC YEAR looked another decent Godolphin prospect when winning the 1400m Listed - originally, the plan was the Irish 2000 Guineas but it now seems he will go to the St James's Palace at Ascot for which he is a 5/1 chance.  On Saturday, continued dry and fine weather left the ground Good, Good to Firm in places. The 2000 Guineas over the straight mile was the first classic of the season. Just eleven went to post with a sole Ballydoyle runner in the shape of EXPANDED. FIELD OF GOLD was favourite after his impressive win in the Craven but faced a strong Godolphin challenge led by RULING COURT. WIMBLEDON HAWKEYE was likely using this as a prep for the Derby. Another classic for Godolphin, Charlie Appleby and William Buick and a 1-3-4 for Godolphin (TORNADO ALERT, in fourth, trained by Saeed Bin Suroor). Did Kieren Shoemark get it wrong on FIELD OF GOLD? Inasmuch as Buick was in front of him and got first run, possibly, but FIELD OF GOLD just couldn't go with the winner down into the dip and despite finishing well, was never going to get there. I've documented elsewhere how I saw RULING COURT on debut at Sandown and he was a knockout then - as a 3-y-o, he won the Jumeirah 2000 Guineas at Meydan but this was a fine effort and promises so much for the future. The plan seems to be the Derby for which he is currently 7/2 rather than the St James's Palace (12/1) but he can step back to a mile if the extra 800m proves beyond him. FIELD OF GOLD won't go to Epsom and is 9/4 for the St James's Palace but I like him at 7s for the Eclipse where the 2000m and the long Sandown straight look optimum. SHADOW OF LIGHT beat EXPANDED in the Dewhurst last sutumn and confirmed that form here and he's in both the St James's Palace and the Commonwealth Cup indicating they haven't quite decided whether he is a true miler or just a sprinter. WIMBLEDON HAWKEYE ran a solid Epsom trial in fifth while the three Irish challengers were all well held.  On the undercard, the Group 3 Palace House over the 1000m was run in a sub 58 second time which is unusual for the Rowley Mile. RUMSTAR was fifth in the 2023 Commonwealth Cup but has been running in handicaps since - this was a career best but speaks volumes as to the weakness of the older sprinting division currently. The Sunday saw the ground upgraded further to Good to Firm all over. The 1000 Guineas had a field of ten runners with the Godolphin trained DESERT FLOWER Evens favourite over the Ballydoyle challenger LAKE VICTORIA at 9/4. You have to wonder whether FLIGHT would have won if she'd kept straight but it was still a marvellous achievement for young trainer Ollie Sangster to saddle the second and third in a classic. Nonetheless, DESERT FLOWER got the job done and Buick needed to be quite firm on her to get her up the hill. She's 11/4 for the Oaks (which is crazy) and 6/4 for the Coronation at Ascot (which isn't). It'll be interesting to see how she comes out of what I thought was a hard enough race. Just three quarters of a length split third to seventh so there's a question over the form of the race as a whole but that will be resolved in the coming weeks and months. On a good day for Godolphin, CINDERELLA'S DREAM was an impressive winner of the 1800m Group 2 Dahlia beating last year's 1000 Guineas winner ELMALKA. FALAKEYEH was a decent winner of the 2000m Pretty Polly - whether she's an Oaks filly or will go for the Ribblesdale at Ascot hasn't yet been determined. 

Saturday May 3rd - Punchestown Festival, Ireland A fifth and final day for those with strong livers and deep wallets at Punchestown. The sunshine returned while the ground remained a watered Yielding. Two final championship races to wrap up the Festival. The first was the Irish Mares Champion Hurdle over 4050m. Six went to post with Mullins providing half the field including the favourite JADE DE GRUGY who had chased home LOSSIEMOUTH in the Mares Hurdle at Cheltenham. Her principal opponent looked to be BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD who had looked brilliant when routing STATE MAN at Leopardstown over Christmas but who had failed in the dramatic Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham finishing fourth having beensecond when hampered by the fall of STATE MAN at the last. Another 1-2 for Clonsutton as JADE DE GRUGY made most under a typical Paul Townend well-judged pace ride. She was always going well but when BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD went with her from the third last, you did just wonder but the latter folded tamely after an indifferent jump at the second last and perhaps the season had taken a toll on her. GALA MARCEAU ran on well for second and you'd wonder whether she could be put up into the open staying division next season as she seems to be crying out for the full 4800m trip. The winner caps off a strong spring and the Mares at Cheltenham (LOSSIEMOUTH notwithstanding) looks a likely objective for the 2025/26 campaign. She seems to relish decent ground. The Champion 4-y-o Hurdle over 3200m saw 100/1 Triumph Hurdle winner PONIROS bidding to prove it as no fluke at Prestbury Park. He faced LULAMBA who had been just a neck behind at Cheltenham and a few others who had been further back such as HELLO NEIGHBOUR. Whether revenge is a dish best served cold I'll leave to others to judge but a rare British success as Nicky Henderson's LULAMBA got her revenge on PONIROS and did so decisively. The two locked horns from the third last as Paul Townend got a lovely run through on PONIROS but it was to no avail as James Bowen got more from LULAMBA at the last and she moved away for a clear win. PONIROS ran well enough in second with HELLO NEIGHBOUR in third and MURCIA fourth. The winner is a decent mare and it'll be interesting to see how and where she is campaigned next season. I suspect she may be aimed at the Mares events where she might bump into one of two of the Mullins inmates (as she would wherever she went). The second will be an interesting addition to the novice hurdling ranks. A hugely successful Festival as always and another dominant display by Team Mullins who walked off with most of the big prizes. That wraps up the jumping until the autumn - hope you've enjoyed my reviews of the chasers and hurdlers.

Geez our industry is amazing how we all support when others are in need...almost 200K raised now...maybe just a little ray of hope out of this awful accident.  

Friday May 2nd - Punchestown Festival, Ireland Day four in County Kildare brought little change in ground conditions (Yielding) and weather conditions (cloudy but dry). Two more Grade 1 championship races - the first was for the Champion Novices Hurdle over 4050m. Eight went to post with three from the Mullins yard but Gordon Elliott supplied the 5/4 favourite in THE YELLOW CLAY who had finished second in the Turners at Cheltenham only just in front of FINAL DEMAND from Team Mullins who went off at 7/4. A comprehansive reversal of the Cheltenham places as FINAL DEMAND put up probably the most impressive performance of the meeting with a 16-length romp. He's clearly a very good horse and looks every inch a chaser which will only add to the embarrassment of riches at Clonsutton (and some awkward race planning meetings, I suspect). Once Townend got the winner to stretch from three out, the race was over and he powered home. THE YELLOW CLAY took a heavy fall at the last when beaten but as far as I am aware, is okay. LOVELY HURLING chased home the winner with the British raider TRIPOLI FLYER running a creditable third and exposing the gap between the British and Irish novices at the very highest level.  The race of the week for many was the Champion Hurdle over 3200m which saw a rematch of those involved in the dramatic English version at Cheltenham. CONSTITUTION HILL went off 8/13 to redeem his reputation which was tarnished by a fall at Prestbury while STATE MAN had the English Champion Hurdle at his mercy (and a nice payout for Mr Stodge) when coming down at the last. The inheritor of these misfortunes was GOLDEN ACE who won and become the English Champion Hurdler. County Hurdle winner KARGESE was another MUllins runner not there to make up the numbers though the other two were. A tremendous race - STATE MAN made every yard to win this for a third time and you can only wonder "what if?" about Cheltenham. For all the furore about CONSTITUTION HILL, who beat him convincingly at Cheltenahm in 2023, STATE MAN is one of the great hurdlers of the modern era and no doubt even as a 9-y-o next year, will be a contender in all the big hurdling championship races. GOLDEN ACE was well held in second - you'd think on this evidence a little further might be her optimum but she ran with credit. KARGESE might be the one for the future - she's only a 5-y-o - and while you might argue she didn't quite get home, physical development should ensure she is a more robust challenger in future seasons and I think she could be a serious player. As for CONSTITUTION HILL, a bitter disappointment. His jumping was far from fluent and having hit the second last, he faded very tamely to finish fifth. He stays in training and if anyone can bring him back to his very best, it's NIcky Henderson but the illness which kept him off the track for much of the 2023-24 season has undoubtedly left its mark and he's not the horse he was. Could he go over fences? He wouldn't be the first who disrespected hurdles but took to the bigger obstacles and it may be worth a try. I could see him pinging the Railway fences at Sandown in a race like the Henry VIII and he might yet find a new forte. The supporting Grade 2 Mares Novices Chase saw DINOBLUE score a 35 length win over her stable companion ALLEGORIE DE VASSY in a real non event of a race. DINOBLUE is clearly very good but she now really has to go in against the geldings at the top level to fully determine her potential.

Who wants to dig it up and rebuild it?

Thursday May 1st - Punchestown Festival, Ireland A dry afternoon for the third day of the Punchestown meeting, albeit with more cloud. Just the two championship races on a card which featured the wonderful La Touche Cross Country Chase over 6600m - try to watch it on YouTube if you can, it's about as far removed from a 1400m race on the Riccarton synthetic as you can get. The Barberstown Castle Novices Chase over 3200m for the speed novices saw MAJBOROUGH sent off 4/11 in an attempt to atone for a disastrous Cheltenham where a critical mistake at the second last undoubtedly cost the horse the Arkle which, as you remember, wwas won by JANGO BAIE in a desperate finish with ONLY BY NIGHT. The latter re-opposed with MAJBOROUGH here. He won the Triumph in 2024 and went chasing as a 4-y-o so is still a young horse but he's a real talent. That said, he's still a work in progress and his jumping remains far from perfect with a notable tendency to jump left which doesn't help on right handed tracks. MAJBOROUGH was, that said, just too good for these and won easily. Could I imagine him taking on MARINE NATIONALE and IL ETAIT TEMPS next season? I could but he needs to improve his jumping to compete with the very best in open company. It'll be fascinating to see how Mullins camapigns him in the autumn. The complete contrast to the speed novice chasers was the Stayers Hurdle over 4800m which saw TEAHUPOO bid to win this race again and atone for his Cheltenham defeat by BOB OLINGER. He went off 5/4 in a field of the usual suspects with the mare JETARA second best at 6s. The 1-2 from 2024 repeated here with TEAHUPOO too good for the Mullins-trained ASTERION FORLONGES. Another Mullins trained horse, WINTER FOG, looked like getting involved before blundering at the last and weakening on the run in allowing JETARA to run on for third. The staying hurdle division badly needs an infusion of talent - TEAHUPOO is a decent horse though was put in his place by LOSSIEMOUTH at Fairyhouse. 

Its one thing to be 1.28 fixed but the thing is how many will take that price. It's not as if they are racing to back it or it would be lower. Entain bookies are having fun with punters IMO

And some people still want to dig it up and rebuild it like all the others that they have done…….and that’s after how it’s performed throughout this year.  Continuing to behave myself, surely they are dimwits?    

Wednesday 30th April - Punchestown Festival, Ireland Yielding ground for the second day of the meeting and a glorious afternoon but small fields for the three Grade 1 championship races. Willie Mullins supplied four of the eight runners in the Channor Group Novices Hurdle over 4800m. Favourite was JASMIN DE VAUX and this French-bred had won the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham. However, he faced a significant challenger in the form of Gordon Elliott's HONESTY POLICY who had won the Mersey at Aintree over 4000m. This was another step up in trip but the horse looked to have plenty of speed. I thought JASMIN DE VAUX made hard work of this and it probably wasn't one of Paul Townend's finest rides if truth be told. He ended up trapped behind horses after the second last as it turned into a dash for the line. A poor jump at the last didn't help and it needed every ounce of persuasion from the saddle and every yard of ground for the favourite to prevail. I thought HONESTY POLICY, by contrast, got a superb ride from Mark Walsh who saved every inch of ground and looked the likely winner approaching the last. Whether the horse was outbattled or didn't quite see out the trip I'm not sure but I think of the two, were they to jump fances next season, the one I'd be looking forward to more was HONESTY POLICY though on decent ground and over flatter tracks. JASMIN DE VAUX might go over fences or move into the open staying hurdle ranks, a division which looks weak. Just six went in the Champion INH Flat Race over 3200m and once again Mullins had the favourite with the unbeaten Cheltenham Bumper winner BAMBINO FEVER. once again partnered by Paul Townend's sister, Jody.  A routine but impressive win for BAMBINO FEVER and the two mares, in receipt of the 7 lb allowance, routed the four geldings and some are already asking questions about the weight allowance and whether it needs to be as significant in Bumpers. That casts a slight shadow over BAMBINO FEVER's win but the mare obviously has an engine and it'll be fascinating to see if she goes into open novice company next year or whether they'll target mares-only races - clearly, the longer term paddock value would be enhanced if she could win more Grade 1 races. It's also worth noting, having beaten SWITCH FROM DIESEL seven and a half lengths at the Dublin Racing Festival in February, the gap was cut to two and a half lengths here and I do think the runner up could be very useful over some extra ground. Just four went to post for the feature of the afternoon, the Punchestown Gold Cup over 5000m. Clear on ratings was Gold Cup runner up GALOPIN DES CHAMPS but Punchestown hasn't been a happy venue for this horse over recent seasons but with no FASTORSLOW in the mix and three inferior opponents, this was his opportunity to lay a few ghosts to rest. An impressive win by the former champion and a faultless display apart from being spooked by the path passing the winning post. He just jumped and galloped these into submission with BANBRIDGE in particular broken and beaten long before the finish. SPILLANE'S TOWER comprehensively reversed King George form with BANBRIDGE but he came here a fresh horse having swerved both Cheltenham and Aintree so ran okay but he was 22 lengths off the winner and that tells you a lot. GALOPIN DES CHAMPS is a very good horse and I'm sure connections will be looking forward to rematches with INOWTHEWAYURTHINKIN both on the road to and at Cheltenham next season and the two currently dominate the staying chase division for all there are some decent performers who will contest the races at the flatter tracks. I hope BANBRIDGE will return to his best after a summer break - he's a wonderful lepper and this was too much at the end of a long season.

Our man Matt states they are building consistency. Listed race 120k Group 3 110k hard to imagine that's consistent

Yes fantastic isn't it. I live less than 10 minutes from the track and it dawned another fine day here. Threatened to rain earlier in the day but never came and sun for the majority of the day with a decent amount of heat (around 14-15 degrees all day). There will be no significant dews over the next 2 mornings. Forecasted to be around 5-7mls of rain from tomorrow morning until early hours of Saturday if we get little to none it might even come back to a 6.