Punchestown, Sunday 7 June 2026: Full Card Breakdown

Punchestown, Sunday 7 June 2026: Full Card Breakdown

Punchestown serves up another eight-race card on good to yielding ground with rain in the forecast, and the going is likely to be on the softer side of that description by the time the later races come around. Eoghan Finegan and Paddy Cleary are the apprentice jockeys to follow at this track statistically, both posting A/E figures well north of 2.50 from their Punchestown rides. Willie Mullins dominates the entries as usual, and his 23% strike rate at the course at a level-stakes profit is reason enough to respect his runners. Meanwhile, the Monaco Grand Prix is wrapping up down in Monte Carlo and the grass-court tennis season kicks off in Stuttgart and Halle tomorrow. On the racing front, though, Punchestown has the only show in town.

1:22 Bermingham Cameras Novice Chase (2m4½f)

Selection: Supersundae (1/2, Boyle Sports / Betfred)

Five runners, tiny field, no each-way value here. This is a straight win bet situation and the answer is Supersundae, even at the short price. The form angle is compelling: blasted 17 lengths clear at Kilbeggan over 2m7f on good to yielding in April, a performance that suggests he genuinely stays and goes on today’s surface. His second at Wexford over the minimum trip was a clear case of the race being run over an inadequate distance, and Anna McGuinness takes off enough weight here to reduce the penalty burden. Sky Lord at 11/4 is rated 148 RPR but has failed to win in five chase starts and was beaten 25 lengths in a handicap here last time. The Mullins yard is rolling at 23% at the course. Supersundae simply has to be respected at the head of the market.

1:57 Jim Ryan Memorial Novice Chase (3m1f)

Selection: Yoradreamer (4/6, Boyle Sports / Betfred)

Three-runner race and another small-field contest where each-way terms are irrelevant. Yoradreamer is the Mullins runner and heads the market at 4/6 for good reason. He made all to win over this exact trip at Wexford, handles good ground, and his non-completion at the festival here last month was entirely accidental, hampered and unseated when sent off at 40/1. The handicapper has not been able to penalise that run. Emily Love at 7/2 is consistent but her best form has come on quicker ground and she benefitted from the fall of an odds-on favourite at Tramore. Raglan Road was pulled up here at the festival and his sole try over 3m previously came on bad ground. Yoradreamer takes this if he stands up.

2:32 K-Mech Mechanical Handicap Chase (2m4½f, 13 runners)

Selection: Me Wee Bonnie Lass Each-Way (4/1, Boyle Sports / Betfred)

Thirteen runners, a handicap chase, four places at 1/5 odds. Plenty of interest in this, but Me Wee Bonnie Lass is the horse that jumps out. Gavin Cromwell’s mare won a Listed mares’ handicap at Fairyhouse in style, scoring by 10 lengths over 2m5f on yielding to soft. She is 8lb higher now, but this is a far weaker contest than a Listed race and the going is very much in her favour. Eoghan Finegan takes the ride, and that Punchestown A/E figure of 2.94 from 23 rides is worth noting. She proved on good ground in her bumper career that she handles a range of conditions. At 4/1 in a 13-runner handicap with each-way cover, this is the play of the race.

He’s Gorgeous at 7/1 is worth an each-way mention too. Blinkers go on for the first time and he ran a solid race in the festival novice handicap here in May over today’s course and distance. If the headgear sharpens him, he could land in the places at big odds.

3:07 INHSC Ladies Handicap Hurdle (2m3f, 17 runners)

Selection: Crossbar Getaway (wait for market, Gordon Elliott)

Seventeen runners with a mix of amateur jockeys and modest form, so this is a race to approach with caution. The standout on recent form is Crossbar Getaway, trained by Gordon Elliott and ridden by Paddy Cleary whose Punchestown A/E of 2.68 is genuinely useful context. Crossbar Getaway ran her best hurdles race last time out at Clonmel, finishing a length and a quarter second of 18 on good to yielding coming back from a break. The step up in trip is the unknown, but she has the right profile for this grade. At 9/2 with LiveScore Bet or 10/1 each-way, the win price is shorter than ideal for a 17-runner contest. Worth including in your each-way bets if you can get 10/1 elsewhere, but this is a competitive open affair.

3:42 Lily and Wild Mares Maiden Hurdle (2m5½f, 19 runners)

Selection: Crossbar Getaway is already running earlier, so the main interest here is Julie Liath Each-Way (10/1, Boyle Sports / Betfred)

Nineteen runners in a mares maiden hurdle is exactly where you want each-way coverage. Julie Liath is an 11-year-old veteran mare who finally got off the mark on her seventh point-to-point start at Dromahane in April, then ran a very respectable third of 16 at Killarney on her hurdles debut over 2m7f on good to yielding. She handles today’s surface, stays the trip, and arrives with a confidence boost from that maiden win. At 10/1 with three places on offer, she represents genuine each-way value in a wide-open field. The fact she is relatively unexposed under rules works in her favour.

Crossbar Getaway from race four was the best bumper and hurdle performer in this card’s maiden context if she were eligible here, but the standout chance for an upset is Hello Below, a Colin Bowe point-to-point specialist who has been placed in her last two points and makes her hurdles bow. Bowe is a serious handler of young mares off the point circuit. Watch the market closely.

4:17 John Dowling Memorial Maiden Hurdle (2m7½f, 12 runners)

Selection: Le Questionnaire (13/8, Boyle Sports / Betfred)

Gordon Elliott’s Le Questionnaire is the most straightforward selection on the card at a price that represents fair value. He has been placed in both his points and has been knocking on the door over hurdles, finishing runner-up at both Tramore and Downpatrick. His latest run over 2m3f at Downpatrick suggested the longer trip would extract more, and he gets that here over 2m7½f on ground to suit. Kevin Sexton is in the plate, and the Elliott yard has been firing. Captain Hanley at 2/1 is interesting after an unlucky unseat but his form is limited to one race. Le Questionnaire is the value call at 13/8.

4:52 TRM Handicap Hurdle (2m7½f, 13 runners)

Selection: Jackmoon Each-Way (10/3, Boyle Sports / Betfred)

Thirteen runners over the staying trip with four places on offer. Jackmoon has been consistently placed without winning, which is the story of his career, but the conditions here suit. He went close in a 2m7f maiden in April and posted a solid third over 3m at Wexford on handicap debut. The return to a mark he can attack, with Jordan Canavan’s 7lb claim reducing his burden, sets this up well. At 10/3 in a 13-runner staying handicap, each-way terms give real insurance. William Tell at 15/2 is worth a look as a second string. He won a 2m6f novice last year and a good Killarney run last month leaves him with improvement in the locker. But Jackmoon is the primary play here.

Today’s NAP

Le Questionnaire — John Dowling Memorial Maiden Hurdle (4:17, Punchestown)
Odds: 13/8 — Boyle Sports (others: 13/8 Betfred, 6/4 LiveScore Bet)

Gordon Elliott’s five-year-old has been runner-up in his last two hurdle starts and the Spotlight analysis is explicit: the step up to 2m7½f looks like it gets more from him, and good to yielding is exactly his ground. He finished clear of the remainder at Tramore and kept finding over 2m3f at Downpatrick. The extra four furlongs today should be the key that unlocks a maiden success. Elliott’s yard has been in strong form over the past fortnight and Kevin Sexton is a reliable partner. At 13/8 in a 12-runner maiden where the market leader has a question mark over the trip, this is the bet of the day.