Sceaux Confident In BoyleSports Champion Chase

With 12 Grade One races at the Punchestown Festival, one thing this week doesn’t lack is quality and from today’s BoyleSports Champion Chase and Herald Champion Novice Hurdle all the way through to Saturday we are in for some real treats.

Sceaux Too Good
There’s plenty of different angles that you could take for the BoyleSports Champion Chase and they each make this a fascinating renewal of the race but when it all comes down to writing out the betting slip, it’s hard to look beyond Un De Sceaux at Evens.

Ballycasey is ten now and has appeared to really appreciate coming back down in trip but you’d have to feel that he will be vulnerable to the younger legs in the race and the same can be said about Grade 1 winner Realt Mor who joins The Game Changer in trying to pick up some valuable prize money for Gordon Elliott.

Cheltenham winner Rock The World is an interesting one coming out of handicap company but representing a trainer in Jessica Harrington who is able to touch everything to gold at the moment, while Sir Valentino outran his odds behind Special Tiara in the Champion Chase at Cheltenham and is a very live contender for Tom George who won the race last year with God’s Own.

God’s Own is back looking for a third Punchestown Festival success and his love of the place has to put him in contention but you would expect to see Un De Sceaux and Fox Norton fight it out with Un De Sceaux preferred to have enough speed to see off all challengers.

Both horses probably proved on their last outings that they appreciate going a bit further than two-miles and they can both be very effective over further next season, but Un De Sceaux would be the fastest of these.

Also, you can’t forget that the only horse to beat Un De Sceaux when he completed over fences is 2013 BoyleSports Champion Chase winner Sprinter Sacre

…and I think that’s a record Un De Sceaux will keep in place this afternoon.

Cross your fingers and run with Labaik
There’s every reason why the Willie Mullins camp might be confident of overturning the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle form with Melon beating Labaik (9/4) even if the quirky grey does jump off given that Melon was having just his second start over hurdles at Cheltenham. But I think there’s no doubting the ability Labaik possesses and he should be able to frank that form here.

BoyleSports are making sure punters don’t get caught out with his trickiness though and you can back Gordon Elliott’s charge with the insurance of a refund as a free bet if he doesn’t jump off in the race. He looked to start at Cheltenham in a good frame of mind and hopefully he got out of bed the same side this morning!

Jetez looks some value
There’s not much that stands out at massive prices but Jetez (9/2) in the last race is a horse that comes from a good family and could run well for Jessica Harrington under Barry O’Neill first time out. The current leading rider in the point-to-point championship could well go close in the first on Need To Know who was fourth in the same race last year.

Recommended Bets:
Labaik 9/4 – 4:20 Punchestown
Un De Sceaux Evens – 5:30 Punchestown
Jetez 9/2 – 7:15 Punchestown

*Prices correct at time of publication