Unfortunately, Asian Master was badly hampered with just over a mile to go. From that point onwards, he was in trouble.
From where he was, it would have been a mighty effort to get involved. And from what I saw, his jumping wasn't the greatest anyway.
Kish Bank folded tamely, which was a big shock for me, as he stays three miles. I thought he might have got out-sped, but that performance was a little baffling, even from a horse at big odds.
Brucejack 10/1 (0.5pt EW, 6pl) – Punchestown 3.05
I thought the form line to focus on was the Down Patrick race between Born Braver and Pat's Son, which saw the former come out on top. I was tempted to back Born Braver to get the upper hand on him again, but Brucejack looked dangerous off a very low weight.
Brucejack finished third in this race in 2024, so we know he stays the trip, and we know that this race has been the target in the past. His form has been very up and down since then, but he returned to form with a convincing win last time out. That run was the first time in a while that he raced on quick jumping ground, which he appeared to love. The ground at Punchestown isn't slow, so I thought there was every chance he could keep up his good form with another good spin around this track.
The trainer has opted for a good 5lb claimer in the saddle, meaning that the horse is going to carry 9st 9lbs. He finished third in this race off a similar weight under another claiming jockey.
Jump Allen 9/4 (1.5pt) – Punchestown 5.30
With Paul Townend in the saddle for Jump Allen, I doubt we'll get amazing odds, despite it being a competitive handicap. His run at Cheltenham was a cracking effort, and that was enough to sway me in his direction.
Even if Paul wasn't riding, I would have still been backing Jump Allen. The trouble in running up the home straight at Cheltenham was brutal to watch, and I wasn't even a backer of the horse. He was positioned towards the rear, had to switch left and right to get a clear run. When he got in the clear, he started to show a very good turn of foot and finished third.
Hopefully, Paul will not bury him towards the back of the field, as I can envisage a similar scenario. This is a big field, so sitting prominently, or in the first ten, has to be a must. If he gets a clear run, he has to be one of the most likely winners.
I think the main danger is the horse that Mark Walsh rides. We've seen the Fairyhouse meeting at the start of April produce many winners this week, and he won his race nicely. The runner-up has since come out and won a Listed race at Punchestown, so I expect he'll go off as the strong favourite.
Bullet Point 9/2 (1pt) – Newmarket 2.20
The best horse in this race is Bullet Point; that's the reason why he is the top weight. Carrying such a heavy weight is enough to steer punters away from backing horses in handicaps like this, but Bullet Point has proven that it's not an issue for him.
He was unlucky to walk away with one win last season, as he went very close in some good handicaps. He was second at Royal Ascot, Ascot and finally got his win at York. I think some people will concentrate on his final two runs of last year, where you can make excuses for him.
I believe he is a Class 1 horse, even though his run at York in a Group 3 race didn't show that, as he did win at the same venue two days prior.
GambleAware