TIPS: Hayley O’Connor marks your card for the opening day of Punchestown Festival

By Hayley O'Connor

I just love the Punchestown festival. Who couldn't?

It's the finale of what has been an incredible National Hunt season where we'll get our last glimpse of its A-listers, plus it's a late start, which means you can head in for a half day at work before heading down... Or sleep in. The opener is at 3.40 and Enda Bolger, a specialist in training horses for National Hunt Chases, should have a repeat victory with Wish Ye Didnt with Nina back on board. That was easy, and so is the second race where the banker on the card must be Yorkhill. Willie Mullins won a staggering 40 percent of races at the festival last year and his representative looks unstoppable to land the 'Big Stage' hat-trick, having galloped to victory at both Cheltenham and Aintree. The Kilashee Handicap Hurdle at 4.55pm may be the first chance the bookmakers have to breathe as historically, it's been a hard contest to predict. With just one winner priced at single digits in the last decade, it's worth taking a punt, and our shop customers have the added safety net of getting their money back as a free bet if their selection finishes second or third to the SP favourite. I'm siding with the top weight Macnicholson. He was the runner-up last year, beaten under a length and really gets a spring in his step at this time of year. At his current price he's worth an each-way poke and has a competent jockey aboard in Paddy Kennedy. Vautour shocked us all with his fall in Liverpool and looks the obvious choice to make amends in the Champion Chase at 5.30pm. For some reason though, I'm drawn to a horse who we've seen just once on the race track in three years, and that Nicky Henderson's Simonsig. The 10 year old was once brilliant but as Nicky Henderson has proved emphatically this season, he is the maestro and nursing a big gun back to glory. The Land Rover Bumper at 6.05 is tricky, Brelade must have a good chance of giving the always powerful Gordon Elliot yard back-to-back wins, but for fun I'm having a small each-way wager on Katie Walsh's mount, Ale Ambrosio, named after the Brazillian super model and hope that she too turns heads this evening. Outlander, the beaten favourite on his last run at Fairyhouse looks a leading contender for the Growise Champion Chase at 6.40pm, as does Zabana who was heavily backed at Cheltenham before dumping Davy Russell at the start. I'm more inclined towards a less exposed runner in Henryville, a British raider with a much lighter campaign this season, but fresher legs perhaps. In the last, the Donohue Marquees INH Flat Race at 7.15pm, I like the look of Someday, ridden by Kate Harrington, who has been riding out of her skin this season. Her mom, Jessica Harrington has a good record in bumpers at the meeting so it could be worth opposing the favourite with this one. Happy Punchestown!