Punchestowns Racehorse Profile

The forthcoming Cheltenham Festival is a great showcase for the best of handicap racehorses and the Ladbrokes World Hurdle, the feature race on the Thursday, is a dream target for the top trainers of England, Ireland and France. Top festival trainer, Nicky Henderson believes his staying hurdler, Punchestowns has what it takes to deliver the goods at Cheltenham and, after his smooth win at Ascot last month in the BGC Long Walk Hurdle, Horse racing betting fans have little argument with this view. Jockey, Barry Geraghty, is totally impressed with the horse and Henderson echoes this view when he describes this success as ‘a very special win’.

Punchestowns Bookies Favourite

Punchestowns is current bookies favourite for the World Hurdle and now that Inglis Drever, last year’s winner, has unexpectedly gone into retirement looks like he will be the one to beat. There’s plenty of ante-post betting available on online betting sites and it’s worth getting in now for the best possible odds. As well as a wide range of betting opportunities online, you will find that bookies, keen to sign you up, offer a generous range of free bets. It’s always worth looking around for the top ones and there are sites to help you do this as well as find the best location for your needs.

Punchestowns In The World Hurdle

There was a bit of a hiccup yesterday when Punchestowns was pipped to the post by second-favourite, Big Buck’s, ridden by Ruby Walsh, in the Cleeve Hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival Trials Day. It was always going to between these two horses and Punchestowns, favourite on the day, was expected to win but Henderson remains confident. "I'm sure I have more up my sleeve with him, apart from the 8lb. He is such a stuffy horse, I had to get a run into him and he was not wound up." The going was very, very tough and, although Punchestowns has a reputation for performing on any ground, it looked like it might have been this that held him back against Big Buck’s, not least because he was giving 8, heavier than usual pounds to the winner and he won’t be suffering that in the World Hurdle in March.

The bookies seem to agree and have kept Punchestowns in the top spot at 2/1 for the World Hurdle, where he will again be ridden by Barry Geraghty. Big Buck’s has come in from 12/1 to 4/1, reflecting the feeling that it was a weight issue that made the difference and that Punchestowns will remain the best prospect. His win in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot was such an impressive display and the annihilation of his rivals too striking to ignore.

Nicky Henderson has a great reputation at Cheltenham with three Champion Hurdle wins to his credit along with another twenty-eight Festival wins in all. These are the jewels among over one thousand wins in his career and any horse from his stable is likely to be one to watch. Punchestown is a special one, though, and well worth keeping an eye on in the build-up to this fantastic festival.