Nap of the Day: King to rule the roost at Punchestown

It wasn't much of a price, but Un Sens A La Vie ran out a seven-and-a-half-length winner at Market Rasen on Tuesday to get Nap of the Day followers off to a winning start for the week.

Our attention turns to Punchestown on Wednesday, for Graded action over the bigger obstacles.

I'm a bit surprised that Birdie Or Bust has opened favourite over KING OF KINGSFIELD for the Grade 3 novice chase at Punchestown on Wednesday.

I can see the market flip-flopping before the off, as Gordon Elliott's seven-year-old is the one to beat as far as I'm concerned.

At the start of his career, the son of Vadamos had a seriously lofty reputation. It's fair to say he never quite lived up to it, but he's proven to be a useful sort nonetheless.

As a novice hurdler, he placed in a couple of Grade 1s - including the Royal Bond and the one at the Dublin Racing Festival won by the likes of Kopek Des Bordes, Ballyburn and Appreciate It in recent years - and was sent off 4/1 for the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Despite a fine effort on his first try in open company at Down Royal last November, finishing just shy of three lengths behind stablemate Brighterdaysahead and over five ahead of Willie Mullins' 150-rated Daddy Long Legs in the G3 Bottlegreen Hurdle, he was largely used as a pacemaker for the aforementioned mare during the rest of the season, so there's not much to read into.

Given his liking for good ground, he's enjoyed a summer campaign over fences, winning a beginners' at Galway in July before bolting up in a small event at Ballinrobe the following month.

Most recently he was third in a Grade 3 at Roscommon, three lengths behind Mullins' 144-rated Westport Cove, sent off 4/6f, and just shy of two adrift of Henry de Bromhead's Special Cadeau (138).

In my book, that's the best form on offer in this field of six. Comfortably.

King Of Kingsfield's main danger, Birdie Or Bust, is much more exposed over the bigger obstacles, with eight runs to her name. She was also beaten by the selection already, by three lengths, in a beginners' at Navan last November.

Enjoy The Dream and War Correspondent have nearly 20lbs to find on official ratings, while Blaze The Way is equally-difficult to advise on all known form.

I can see King Of Kingsfield either making the running or sitting off the pace and keeping things relatively simple under Jack Kennedy, who's operating at a healthy 29% strike rate courtesy of 10 winners from his last 35 rides.

Click the links for all the latest Horse Racing Odds and Fast Racing Results

Tune into Betfred Insights regularly to find our experts' Nap of the Day