How To Bet £20 on day two of the Punchestown Festival

Galopin Des Champs was a convincing winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup despite plenty going wrong for him in the first half of the race and he should take all the beating in the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup (5.55) on Wednesday.

I can see why some might be tempted to back Bravemansgame, at 5-1, to turn the tables over this shorter trip because he got outstayed at Cheltenham after jumping the last upsides. It took 6min 46sec to run the race - a full 20 seconds more than last year’s Punchestown Gold Cup, run on similar ground.

Those times give a clear indicator that this will be a speedier examination, but Galopin Des Champs doesn’t lack gears, either, and I just fancy he’s the superior horse.

You need a thick wallet to entertain backing him at 1-3 but Betfair dangle a carrot by offering 85-40 about Galopin Des Champs winning by three lengths or more and Bravemansgame finishing second. That will do for me.

Two Mullins-trained runners arriving a little more under the radar are Grangeclare West, who runs in the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel Hurdle (4.45), and Egality Mans, who again contests the HSS Hire Handicap Chase (7.05).

The former, an expensive recruit after winning his sole point, looked an exciting prospect when winning his bumper at Punchestown last year before trouncing Firm Footings by 13 lengths on his hurdling bow at Navan in late November. There’s some substance to that latter form with the runner-up subsequently finishing a close sixth in the Martin Pipe at Cheltenham off a mark of 134.

Grangeclare West has since twice fluffed his lines in Grade One company, but he was found to be under the weather on the first occasion (after tanking through most of the race) and perhaps found his next assignment, less than a month later, coming too quick.

Having missed Cheltenham and had almost three months off, I’m hoping he will get back on track in these shallower waters. Imagine, who was just ahead of Firm Footings when fifth in the Martin Pipe, is the likely favourite.

Egality Mans is also on something of a retrieval mission, having fallen early on at Leopardstown last time after being pulled up in his previous two races.

The past year has been pretty much a write-off for him but he’s now 5lb lower than when a good fourth in this race 12 months ago under Sean O’Keefe and he moved well for a long way in the Thyestes Chase, on his penultimate start, before running out of puff. Paul Townend prefers the prospects of Ha D’Or but that just means we get a bigger price. Egality Mans went off at 6-1 last year, but is 14-1 this time.

Mullins has another odds-on shot on the card in the shape of Gaelic Warrior in the Irish Mirror Novice Hurdle.

The Ballymore Hurdle runner-up should be more at home on this track given his propensity to jump right but the step up to almost 3m is a niggle for a speedy horse who is fully effective over 2m.

I’m happy to take him on with Salvador Ziggy, who rates a solid each-way option at the general 6-1 on offer.

This seven-year-old ran a cracker when runner-up in the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham - when carrying top weight after five months off - and remains relatively unexposed as a stayer.

He probably doesn’t want the ground too deep but is going to be extremely hard to keep out of the frame provided the going doesn’t deteriorate. And if Gaelic Warrior doesn’t get home, then in my book he’s the one most likely to take full advantage.

Finally, I’ll also be having a punt on La Malmason in the opening Adare Manor Opportunity Series Final Handicap Hurdle.

Plenty of the 25 runners in this 95-123 handicap are exposed but Gavin Cromwell’s five-year-old is a notable exception, having had only three runs.

She’s bred to be better than this level, being a half-brother to Stage Star, and you can mark up her near-miss behind Sa Fureur here last time as she got carried across the track in the closing stages. The winner followed up in Grade Three company next time before going off favourite for the Coral Cup, while the well-beaten third was far from disgraced at Aintree last time.

A mark of 122 appeals as being lenient for La Malmason and, having had three months off, it looks like she’s been put away for this meeting.

She's not been missed by the layers, but the 11-2 on offer still looks fair. Sky Bet are offering seven places.

3.40 La Malmason £4 win at 11-2 with bet365

4.45 Grangeclare West £3.50 win at 9-4 with bet365

5.20 Salvador Ziggy £2.75 each-way at 6-1 with bet365

5.55 Galopin Des Champs to win by three lengths or more and Bravemansgame to finish second. £3 on the 85-40 offered by Betfair

7.05 Egality Mans £1.50 each-way at a general 14-1

plus a £1 each-way treble on the first three