Horse Racing Tips: Galopin to be Punchestown champ

It is the second day of the Punchestown Festival on Wednesday, the highlight of what should be another quality day of racing across Britain and Ireland. The first meeting off is Ascot, where there are big trials for the Gold Cup, Queen Anne and Commonwealth Cup. There is also a meeting at Pontefract in the afternoon, with Brighton and Southwell in the evening.

Amongst our horse racing tips for Wednesday is a sprinter to follow for the season at Ascot, as well as a rare chance to back a great of the game at odds against.

14:57 Pontefract - Cloud King @ 5/1

Trainer Robert Cowell has made a brisk start to the season with his sprinters and CLOUD KING is ready to take advantage after getting himself fit with a recent run at Southwell.

That was his first run since September and, despite strong market support, Cloud King was not able to finish in the places.

He came to hand as a three-year-old last summer, winning at Haydock in July. He then did better than the bare result suggests at Goodwood and York on his next two starts. At the latter, on the softest ground he has faced, he travelled well but looked all at sea under pressure.

Cloud King has more races in him, just not at such a high level in the short term. This race is a 0-78 handicap, a lesser test than what he was given last summer, and with a fairly kind draw he can take advantage now he is fit.

15:23 Ascot - Duran @ 5/2

The race mentioned above at York was won by DURAN, who has himself had a run for fitness and now looks ready to make his mark in the five-furlong handicap at Ascot.

After winning that race in September, Duran finished eighth in a stronger race back on the Knavesmire. He travelled well from an unpromising position, so remained one to be positive about.

He made his recent return to action at Beverley, dealing well with the stiffer finish there to finish second. He can build on that now, and while a return to York for the various big-field sprints looks his main target this season, he can get off to a good start by taking a similar race at Ascot before some of the big players enter the scene.

17:30 Punchestown - Galopin Des Champs @ 1/1

The chance to back dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner GALOPIN DES CHAMPS at anything like odds against has only come about by him losing his crown.

Really, he was not disgraced at Cheltenham. Winner Inothewayurthinkin is young and exciting and Galopin Des Champs beat everything else by a yawning margin. He is still top-class, although he may now have missed his chance to join the most exclusive club of triple Gold Cup winners.

Galopin Des Champs is just as good at Leopardstown as he is at Cheltenham. There are murmurs about his effectiveness at Punchestown, but the vast majority of his runs there have been either an afterthought or a pipe-opener.

You could argue that this is another example of the former, but with only three to beat and him being the pick on form even if you forget everything before this year's Gold Cup, Galopin Des Champs deserves to be given plenty of respect.

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