DINO CAN CONQUER CAPTAIN..

BY PETER O’HEHIR HELPED by her 7lb mare’s allowance, Dinoblue might upstage reigning two-mile champion chaser Captain Guinness in today’s Punchestown highlight, the

€300,000 William Hill Champion Chase.

Winner of Grade B handicap at last year’s festival, the Willie Mullins-trained mare (above) is now a five-time winner over fences.

And her victory in the Grade 1 Paddy’s Rewards Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas and subsequent second to El Fabiolo in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase in February, look the standout form going into today’s showpiece.

She slammed Gentleman De Mee by seven and a half lengths with Captain Guinness, clearly struggling after a mistake at the third, pulled up, at Christmas and, then, had Captain Guinness six lengths behind when beaten by

El Fabiolo.

Last time, Dinoblue was beaten three-quarters of a length by Limerick Lace in the Grade 2 mares chase at Cheltenham.

Reverting to her optimum trip of two miles,

Dinoblue might get the better of Captain

Guinness

(right), a dual

Fortria winner, who made his

Grade 1 breakthrough in the best possible place, in the

Betway

Queen

Mother

Champion

Chase at

Cheltenham.

In a grief-stricken race, Rachael Blackmore’s mount looked a winner from halfway and, up the hill, had a length and a half to spare over Gentleman De Mee.

Another to consider is Joseph O’brien’s Banbridge, a Grade 1 novice – two and a half miles – winner at Aintree last year and lightly-raced this season, winning the Silviniaco Conti at Kempton over Christmas, but having his campaign curtailed by ground conditions.

And he disappointed, in soft ground, in Cheltenham’s

Ryanair, finishing tailed off behind Protektorat.

A fresh horse, wearing cheekpieces for the first time, he should not be overlooked.