Punchestown Festival Day 3 Tips: 5/2 Nap heads Owen’s Thursday fancies

It's been a fruitful couple of days at Punchestown, courtesy of three winners and a place, and here's to more of the same as the five-day meeting continues into Thursday.

My Punchestown Festival Day 3 tips includes a 5/2 Nap I fancy is extremely well-in, plus a 22/1 each-way chance and Mullins' in the bumper.

14:30 - The Other Mozzie @ 5/2

I tipped a Gavin Cromwell chaser off a much-reduced mark over hurdles on Tuesday and it didn't go to plan, but the case for THE OTHER MOZZIE in Thursday's opener - a handicap hurdle over 2m½f - is a stronger one.

The six-year-old son of Vadamos is rated 145 over fences after making easy work of a competitive handicap at Ayr earlier this month off seven pounds lower, but just 119 over the smaller obstacles.

I don't think it's a simple case of the half-brother to My Mate Mozzie being that much better in the one discipline, either. It's not like he was an instant hit over fences, recording Racing Post Ratings of 118, 106 and 112 in his first three attempts.

It wasn't until connections turned to first-time cheekpieces at Naas at the start of the year that his form took a turn for the better, bolting up by 11 lengths off a mark of 127.

The selection then went to Cheltenham for the Jack Richards Novices' Limited Handicap and finished a respectable seventh of 19 from a compromising position, before the aforementioned triumph in Scotland.

To put it bluntly, The Other Mozzie looks thrown in off 119 and he rates my Nap of the Day.

16:15 - Comfort Zone each-way @ 22/1

My next interest - an each-way one, making the most of Betfred paying five places - is Joseph O'Brien's COMFORT ZONE in the Listed handicap hurdle over just shy of three miles.

The six-year-old son of Churchill was fancied for the Coral Cup at this year's Cheltenham Festival, sent off 11/2, but absolutely nothing went right on the day. He took a keen hold, jumped poorly and never got into contention.

If like me you're prepared to forgive that run, he looks well overpriced at 22s.

While the majority of his form is over the minimum trip, Comfort Zone's best performances have been over further - including his two-length defeat to Gordon Elliott's The Wallpark, who's rated 18lbs higher today, at the Galway Festival last summer. Also, he's a winner over two miles on the flat, suggesting he'll appreciate this extra emphasis on stamina.

His mark of 133 is just two pounds higher than when third at this level at Leopardstown over Christmas, finishing third of 20, just over two lengths behind the reopposing Park Of Kings. That rival is favourite for Thursday's race, despite the fact the selection is a stone better off on these terms.

I repeat - overpriced.

18:35 - Ksar Fatal @ 11/8

I suspect KSAR FATAL is Willie Mullins' second-best bumper horse, after Bambino Fever of course, this season - and hopefully he can prove it in Thursday's finale.

The five-year-old was talked up by Patrick Mullins back in January, but the son of Buck's Boum wasn't seen until March, when putting a Gowran Park bumper to bed by nine widening lengths. It was a serious performance from a horse with a lofty reputation.

The form is yet to be properly tested, but he won with plenty in hand and his PTP victory at Curraghmore last October has worked out well with the runner-up Cardcounter, who was over five lengths adrift, rated 138 after three starts under rules and thought highly enough of to contest a Grade 1 here on Wednesday.

Everything points to this being a useful sort and I expect him to take plenty of beating.

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