3.05 Punchestown Preview

The Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Final looks a proper burn-up on paper, and that is the key to solving it. Comment Shaper points to a very strong race shape, with two likely front-runners, five prominent racers and a high collapse risk. In simple terms, they may go too hard early.

That makes Laughing John slightly vulnerable despite being second on the HRB TimeWise Master ratings. He is progressive, arrives chasing a hat-trick and first-time cheekpieces could sharpen him up, but he is likely to be right in the firing line. A 12 lb rise and a pace battle make life harder.

The one I want is Daylatedollarshort. He is clear HRB TimeWise rank 1, and that is important because this rating set strongly favours the top two. He has won his last two at Wetherby, looks progressive, and his running style should suit this race better than most. He can sit close enough without getting dragged into the early war.

There are dangers. Powerful is respected back at Punchestown over a more suitable trip. Matt Connor is interesting because Timeform specifically suggests the strong pace could suit him. Almuhit was second in this race last year and looks to have been aimed at it again, while Sticwiththeprocess has solid finishing signals but now tries first-time blinkers.

Still, this is not a race where I want to stray too far from the HRB top rank. Daylatedollarshort has the profile of a horse still ahead of his mark, and the race shape should allow him to pick up the pieces late.

Selection: Daylatedollarshort
Main danger: Powerful
Confidence: Medium