Ratings Update: Kemboy stands up to be counted

The feature race on the opening day of the Punchestown Festival was the Boylesports Champion Chase, for which there was a distinct end-of-season feel, with the odds-on Min (down 2 lb to 174) posting a below-par effort in second, seemingly feeling the effects of his exertions at Cheltenham and Aintree. Nevertheless, that shouldn’t detract from the effort of the winner Un de Sceaux (up 3 lb to 170), who outjumped his rivals under an attacking ride to repeat his 2018 win. He has proven himself to be deadly in these conditions (two miles on soft ground) over the years and, on this evidence, there should be more good races to be won with him when granted a similar set of circumstances in 2019/20, for all that he will be rising 12 by then.

The first Grade 1 of the meeting, the Herald Champion Novices’ Hurdle, went the way of Klassical Dream (157p from 154), who confirmed himself the pick of the novice hurdlers with a performance every bit as emphatic as when winning the Supreme at Cheltenham. The Champion Hurdle was mentioned as his likeliest aim for next season, and he looks a good thing to find the extra improvement required to make him into a leading player in that division.

Klassical Dream is a very classy winner of the first Grade 1 of the week @punchestownrace the Herald Champion Novice Hurdle for Ruby Walsh and Willie Mullins 🏆 🥇 pic.twitter.com/vEtvTlzuI7

— Horse Racing Ireland (@GoRacing) April 30, 2019

Delta Work (up 5 lb to 163p) is another who looks well up to mixing it in open company next season, having resumed winning ways in imperious fashion in the Champion Novices’ Chase. Admittedly, the softening conditions possibly exposed stamina doubts in two of the other market principals, but it was still hard not to be impressed by his performance, and with further improvement on the cards, he is one to consider for the top staying chases in 2019/20.

Day two played host to a tremendous renewal of the Punchestown Gold Cup, one that will live long in the memory and provided a fitting swansong to the glittering career of jockey Ruby Walsh, who, having produced a trademark fine tactical display on the winner Kemboy (up 6 lb to 176), retired with immediate effect afterwards.

Kemboy must be viewed as the best staying chaser around on the back of this effort, the fact he was able to see off the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo (up 3 lb to 174) in the straight all the more meritorious given that he had had to deal with the attentions of Definitly Red, whilst racing keenly at the head of affairs, for much of the way. The form has a far more solid look to it than most other Grade 1 staying events over the past 12 months, and a rematch between the front two in 2019/20 – when Paul Townend will likely have a difficult decision to make – is eagerly anticipated.

What a race - Kemboy denies Al Boum Photo in a thrilling Coral Punchestown Gold Cup! @punchestownrace pic.twitter.com/3RJ3AufXPr

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 1, 2019

Earlier on the card, Minella Indo (remains on 147) found plenty on the run-in to master old adversary Allaho (remains on 138) in the Irish Daily Mirror Novices' Hurdle, in the process becoming the first winner of the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham to follow up in this race. His career is still very much in its infancy, and he appeals as the type to take high rank in the novice chase division next season, a comment that also applies to the runner-up.

Meanwhile, there was a familiar outcome to the Champion I.N.H. Flat Race, with Colreevy (up 6 lb to 113) avoiding all the traffic problems in behind to provide Willie Mullins with a seventh win in the race in the last decade. She will presumably go novice hurdling now, though, given her build, it would be no surprise if she embarked on a chasing career sooner rather than later.

Thursday's Champion Stayers’ Hurdle was another race at the meeting that failed to live up to its star billing, with the absence of the likes of Paisley Park, Supasundae and Apple's Jade meaning that it had a distinctly "second division" look to it. In the event, Unowhatimeanharry (remains on 151) returned to form from out of the blue to land the race for the second time in three years, and, now a four-time Grade 1 winner, his connections will reportedly wait until after the summer to decide whether the 11-year-old will race on or not.

The Ryanair Novices’ Chase, on the other hand, lived up to expectations and more, with Chacun Pour Soi (169p from 152P) looking an outstanding prospect as he provided Mullins with a fifth successive win in the race, one who already looks worthy of mentioning in the same breath as some of the trainer's recent stable stars. Indeed, this comprehensive defeat of two Cheltenham Festival winners, namely Defi du Seuil (up 3 lb to 164p) and Duc des Genievres (162+ from 165p), marks him out as a novice right out of the top drawer, particularly as there were a further couple of Grade 1 winners in his wake, and he is one to look forward to if he can stand more regular racing from now on.

The hype around Chacun Pour Soi has been well and truly justified, as he wins the Ryanair Novice Chase very impressively for @WillieMullinsNH and @Robbie_Power_ pic.twitter.com/hTN3LBY4ds

— Horse Racing Ireland (@GoRacing) May 2, 2019

A high-quality renewal of the Punchestown Champion Hurdle took centre stage on day four, and though a couple of outsiders hit the frame with Apple’s Jade (remains on 162) well below form, it was hard not to be impressed by the performance of the winner Buveur d’Air (up 1 lb to 163), who re-established himself as one of the major players in the two-mile hurdling division in the absence of Champion Hurdler Espoir d’Allen. The air of invincibility around him may be gone after a frustrating season on the whole, but this two-and-a-half-length beating of the consistent Supasundae (up 1 lb to 158) suggests that there are still more good races to be won with him.

The Champion Novices’ Hurdle that followed also went the way of the British raiders, with Reserve Tank (up 5 lb to 150p) strengthening his status as one of the best young prospects around by improving still further to follow up his Aintree success. Admittedly, the favourite City Island (151 from 152p) was clearly well below his best in sixth, but the form still looks strong, with reasons to be positive about most of the principals, and the winner rates an exciting prospect for chasing in 2019/20.

There was a rather low-key ending to the week, with the odds-on Benie des Dieux (remains on 151) not hard pressed to see off a pair of inferior stablemates and land the Annie Power Mares’ Champion Hurdle for a second time. The Champion Four-Year-old Hurdle also attracted only the five runners, but it did at least prove a better contest, with Fusil Raffles (up 3 lb to 147p) having to work to get the better of the consistent Fakir d’Oudairies (remains on 143). He was ultimately well on top at the finish and should have more to offer next season given his profile/connections, though he will clearly need to if he is to make his presence felt in open company.