JACK KENNEDY COLUMN INSIDE

I HAVE five rides at Punchestown today and the best of them could be Bigbadandbeautiful in the Close Brothers Mares Novice Hurdle (7.05).

This is a mare with loads of ability, who won well first time out over hurdles at Navan.

Perhaps she is lacking a little bit of experience over obstacles but I think she will go very close and the ground won’t be a concern.

For me I think the biggest danger is Magic Daze for the Henry de Bromhead yard. Her run behind Telmesomethingirl at Cheltenham is probably the best line of form on offer here.

But we really do rate Bigbadandbeautiful and are expecting a big run from her.

In the feature race of the day – the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle (5.25) – I am riding Fury Road for Gigginstown.

I was never really happy on him at any point in the race at Cheltenham. He normally travels well but I was just struggling the whole way around.

You can just draw a line through that run and hopefully we’ll see the real Fury Road today.

Flooring Porter looks the obvious danger after winning at Cheltenham but I think Ronald Pump is a horse with a lot of ability and could be just a bit fresher than many of these.

If Fury Road was to come back to his best form I think he would be in the shake-up but I would look out for Ronald Pump, I think he is a massive player in this race.

My first ride of the day comes on Silver Star in the Specialist Joinery Group Handicap Hurdle (3.40).

He ran better than where he finished at Ballinrobe the last day and that was his first run in a while.

So he will have come on from that fitness-wise and I would be expecting a better run today.

In the next race at 4.15, my mount is Epson Du Houx (inset), who has been running well all season.

He fell in Navan at the second last when looking like he was going to be in the shake-up.

He went on then and finished third in a good handicap chase at Fairyhouse so he’s been knocking on the door and hopefully will run well.

In the same race my eye would be drawn to the English runner Sully D’OC AA who ran very well at Aintree last time out.