O’LEARY AIMING TO SET PUNCHESTOWN ABLAZE

GIGGINSTOWN House may have missed out on Irish Grand National glory on Monday but their heavy artillery is being aimed at the Punchestown Festival next week. Apple’s Jade, Petit Mouchoir, Outlander, Tell Us More and Disko spearhead the Gigginstown challenge for the traditional National Hunt finale. Cheltenham Mares’ Hurdle winner Apple’s Jade will skip the Betdaq Champion Hurdle and contest either the €250,000 Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle next Thursday or the EBF Mares’ Champion Hurdle two days later. ‘Apple’s Jade is very, very good,’ said Eddie O’Leary, racing manager for Gigginstown. ‘We were delighted with Cheltenham and, touch wood, she’s done well since then. ‘She’ll either go for the three-miler or the mares’ race and we’ll decide in the next few days.’ Petit Mouchoir, third to Buveur D’Air in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, will fly the Gigginstown colours in the €250,000 Champion Hurdle on Friday, which is likely to be the grey’s final race over hurdles. ‘He ran very, very well at Cheltenham and was beaten by an extremely good horse. Now he’s more settled in his races, I think that gives him a bit more of a chance. ‘He’ll be going over fences next season and we hope he’s a nice threemile Manager: Eddie O’Leary chasing prospect,’ said O’Leary. The Gordon Elliott-trained Outlander seeks to put a below-par run in the Cheltenham Gold Cup behind him when he lines up against Sizing John in the €250,000 Coral Punchestown Gold Cup on Wednesday. ‘He’s a horse that usually travels well in his races but he was never going in the Gold Cup. Hopefully, we’ll see a different horse at Punchestown,’ said O’Leary. Tell Us More, who missed the Irish National, steps back in trip for the €250,000 Boylesports Champion Chase on Tuesday, when Noel Meade-trained Disko, third in the JLT Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham, will line up in the Growise Champion Novice Chase.