PUNCHESTOWN PREVIEW:AN UNUSUALLY small field of just 10 runners line up for the Grade One Paddy Power Champion Bumper at Punchestown today but that's hardly surprising with Dunguib dominating the build-up as much as he is likely to dominate the finish.
Winner of the Cheltenham bumper by 10 easy lengths in a display that oozed quality, Dunguib is set to start a red-hot favourite to follow in Cousin Vinny’s 2008 footsteps and become just the second horse to complete the Cheltenham-Punchestown double.
There can hardly be much of an argument with such short odds either. The Philip Fenton-trained star really did look that good at Cheltenham. His amateur rider Brian O’Connell may have been up against top professionals in what is usually one of the roughest races of the season but ultimately he hardly had a moment’s worry.
The heavily-backed Rite Of Passage couldn’t get in a blow up the straight as Dunguib won out in the manner of former brilliant winners like Florida Pearl and Montelado. The latter subsequently got turned over here in his year but it’s hard to raise a convincing argument about something similar happening today.
Ground conditions shouldn't be a problem for a horse that hammered Luska Lad on heavy going in a Grade Two at Navan in December and Dunguib's form ties in at a superior level to most of this field.
Instead it is the small field itself that is concerning Fenton, who along with O’Connell, also looks to have a good shout today in the three-mile novice hurdle with Caim Hill.
“It could be a trappy little race with just 10 runners and no guaranteed pacemaker other than maybe Luska Lad,” he said yesterday. “But the horse genuinely appears in great form.”
Dermot Weld’s Universal Truth is three from three so far but would prefer much quicker ground to this and while that is not the case with Quadrillion, champion amateur Patrick Mullins has decided to ride his stable companion Sicilian Secret instead.
Sweeps Hill is something of a dark horse but even his trainer John Kiely conceded yesterday: “Dunguib seems to be an exceptional horse.”
Since Alan Shearer is in charge of Premier League strugglers Newcastle, right now, he could use a pick-me-up courtesy of Akilak who runs in the €70,000 handicap chase.
Shearer is part of the ADA partnership who own the Howard Johnson-trained runner and forms part of a strong British raid on this race.
Ferdy Murphy is represented by De Boitron but with the premium likely to be on jumping and staying, a better each-way option could be The Sawyerwho beat Akilak at Cheltenham in January and who represents the Irish National-winning trainer Bob Buckler.
Jayo looked one of the best novice chasers in the country during the winter when he put in a spectacular display to beat Made In Taipan in a canter at Naas. However, his season disintegrated afterwards with his jumping in particular letting him down at Leopardstown. That crucial aspect looked to be somewhat better at Fairyhouse earlier this month when he ran fifth behind Aran Concerto in the Power Gold Cup and any further improvement from that race should see him figure prominently in the concluding novice chase.
Coffee Tea Or Me is a form choice for the four-year-old hurdle based on his narrow defeat to The Fist Of God at Fairyhouse.
However, he has looked far from a straightforward ride and could prefer better going as well. Manor Parkhas ground to make up on him from Fairyhouse but was a rare blip from this consistent sort who is versatile in terms of surface.
