Punchestown Festival betting preview – Day five picks and advice
THE concluding day of the five-day marathon, the Punchestown Festival, is here.
We come to the stage where horse and punter alike can see the finishing line after a long week. But what a week of racing it has been, and today’s racing looks to bring the curtain down on the 2024 Punchestown Festival with a bang.
Get all the best odds and betting offers below with some of the leading horse racing betting sites.
Punchestown Festival betting tips
Onto the betting tips for day five of the Punchestown Festival, where we are lucky to get to witness what could be the next superstar mare in Lossiemouth as she looks to close out the season which saw her take two wins at Cheltenham with the highlight being her runaway win in the Mares Hurdle at the Festival.
Can she turn into a Champion Hurdle horse for next year? Let’s hope so.
Now, onto the final betting tips for the week.
Punchestown 3:05 – 3m 7½f Colm Quinn BMW Handicap Chase
This is all but an end of season Grand National given the distance, and there is one here that has just run on the Scottish National that comes with strong credentials.
KLARC KENT comes in here on the back of a career best when finishing 4th in the Scottish Grand National. That was a race into the unknown regarding the trip, but he was not wanting for stamina in the end.
He was in receipt of 9lb off Ontheropes when finishing 1 length in front of him that day, but there is a 1lb swing in the weights in favour of Ontheropes. For me that will make no difference here especially with Ontheropes lumping around 11st 12lb.
That was only his fifth chase start and tenth race overall under rules, so there should be more improvement to come from Klarc Kent.
If Peaches And Cream is none the worse for his fall in the Ulster National where he was about to mount a serious challenge, then he could be a major factor as well.
Current odds:
- No current odds available
Punchestown 4:15 – 3m ½f Listed Palmerstown House Estate Pat Taaffe Handicap Chase
Another staying handicap chase, and I turn to the Scottish National form once again, but this time for SPANISH HARLEM.
Surprisingly he was the choice of Paul Townend there, but is now abandoned by him in favour of Glenhouly. But now he gets the services of Danny Mullins.
Having only raced over 2m4f prior to the Scottish National, Spanish Harlem showed that stamina would not be an issue going forward when he was closest at the finish at Ayr.
He should have a solid pace to aim at Cruz Control likely to take them along at a good clip, and this can be the third week in a row where Danny Mullins takes home a big Saturday handicap after claiming the Scottish National and bet365 Gold Cup over the past two weeks.
Current odds:
- No current odds available
Punchestown 4:50 – 2m Grade 1 Ballymore Champion Four Year Old Hurdle
The final Grade 1 of the Punchestown sees the 4 year olds take center stage. Kargese comes in here after dancing every dance this season which includes a win at the Dublin Racing Festival and seconds at the Cheltenham and Aintree Grand National Festivals.
But will it be asking too much for her to go back to the well one more time given how she races? Time will tell, but I think it will be one race too many.
The one that I am going to take her on with is the Gavin Cromwell trained BOTTLERS’SECRET.
He has impressed me in his two starts thus far. He jumped well in the main on hurdle debut to win by 11 lengths, but took his form to a whole new level when taking the Grade 2 Juvenile Hurdle at the Irish Grand National Festival.
Having won that with some much to spare, there is every chance that he can take the step up into Grade 1 level in his stride.
With the ground drying out so much at Punchestown it will pay to race prominent which he does.
I find it hard to look beyond him at the prices given I think this will be one race to many for the admiral Kargese.
Current odds:
- Kargese – 15/8
- Bottlers’secret – 7/2
- Nurburgring – 6/1
- Storm Heart – 6/1
- Bunting – 14/1
- 25/1 bar
Place a bet on Bottler’ssecret at Copybet
Punchestown 5:25 – Listed 2m 4½f SBK Gold Trophy Handicap Hurdle
My final selection on what has been, well, a normal Punchestown Festival with many fancy horses being turned over, but I think we will finish on a high here with WATERFORD WHISPERS.
This is a very talented horse, and to finish as close as he did in the Martin Pipe given how much energy that he used shows his resoluteness.
The winner of the Martin Pipe, Better Days Ahead advertised that form well here on Wednesday when finishing 3rd behind Dancing City in the 3m Grade 1 Novice Hurdle.
There should be no shortage of pace here, and with that Mark Walsh should be able to settle him and get him in a nice rhythm to attack late up the home straight.
He is a horse I really like, and win or lose tomorrow, he is a horse with a big future ahead of him.
Current odds:
- No current odds available
Bet on Waterford Whispers at BoyleSports
About the author
Andrew Halligan
My name is Andrew Halligan, horse racing pundit and founder of YouTube’s The Finishing Line Podcast. Horse racing is a thrilling spectacle that captivates audiences around the world with its blend of drama and excitement. Whether you’re a jumps or flat fan, I will use my experience of working within the horse racing industry to bring the best of what this sport has to offer.
You can follow Andrew on X (@Halligan88).
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