Friday’s Racing Tips – Asian Master is the dark horse to be on for the Champion Hunters Chase

The constant theme of poor rides continued on Thursday. This time, Paul Townend took the crown.

Why Paul gave up so much of a gap throughout the race on Jimmy Du Seuil is just baffling. The horse had to be spot on at the last, because he made up ground that he shouldn't have, and he made an error. If he had been positioned better, he could have gotten away with the error at the last and had room to spare. It's so frequent that these poor rides are happening from jockeys that are meant to be the ‘best'.

Lorcan Williams had Champagne Chic towards the rear, and it would've been tough to win from that position. Thankfully for him, the horse was in a huge problem a long way from home.

Vanilier was a non-runner about an hour before the Cross Country started, and I'd guess that was due to the ground. Busselton went on to win that race, winning for the second year in a row.

Asian Master 17/2 (1pt) – Punchestown 4.15

Hopefully, we will get decent odds on Asian Master, as you have a lot of your usual horses turning up for this, who will likely take most of the market.

I think Asian Master could fly under the radar a little. He used to be a very talented hurdler for Willie Mullins, and ran some big races in Grade 1's a couple of years ago. Since then, he has gone back to PTP races and run well in a Hunters' Chase.

He is a nine-year-old now, but hasn't got many miles on the clock. I think the recent rain will be a big help to his chances, and I think we haven't seen the best of him, because he's not been over this far over rules. His PTP debut form behind Fact To File now looks to be a great piece of form, and since he went back to those races, he has been winning them in good style.

Kish Bank 33/1 (0.5pt EW, 5pl) – Punchestown 5.25

I think this race is extremely open, and given how the results of the week have gone at Punchestown, I think you can take a chance on an outsider.

I was tempted by Norn Iron, but his wins have come in small fields, and I'm not sure the form is worth much. With Gordon Elliott having a decent time of things, Kish Bank was the one who got my attention.

Jack Kennedy isn't on Wingmen, so he can't be confident in that horse, and Kevin Healy was on this horse last time out, so I think he was always going to retain his mount. With a little rain at Punchestown, and with the added stamina that Kish Bank has, I'm hoping Kevin is prominent on his horse.

Kish Bank's last run was in a Listed race over 3m, and he got tired late on. In hindsight, Kevin went home too early, but he might be able to get away with similar tactics over a shorter trip. Kevin also takes off a handy 7lbs, meaning my fancy is on a very low racing weight.

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