Graeme Rodway's play of the day at Punchestown
Queensbury Boy
7.40 Punchestown
Gaelic Warrior and Teahupoo are the star attractions on the third day at Punchestown and both will be difficult to beat in their respective Grade 1s. However, they are short prices and there are better bets elsewhere on the card, the pick of which is in the closing 2m½f bumper (7.40).
It is not easy for British trainers to beat Willie Mullins and the other Irish stables on their own soil and that is particularly true in bumpers, but Harry Derham had Brentford Hope finish second in a handicap hurdle on Tuesday and he might go one better with Queensbury Boy here.
He was bought for £130,000 by David Maxwell after landing an Irish point in March 2023 and followed up by making a winning bumper debut for his owner at Chepstow in December.
That form still leaves him with a lot to find against the best of the Irish, but Derham has established himself as a coming force in the training ranks and probably wouldn’t risk such a good prospect unless he thought he were up to it. It is worth taking a chance that view is right.
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