3.50pm Punchestown

Marie’s Rock

I know a few in behind had some hard luck stories – Mrs Milner suffered trouble in running, and Telmesomethinggirl was brought down when going well – but take nothing away from this mare, as I thought she was superb when winning at Cheltenham. The boss has done absolute wonders with this horse since last season, and I see no reason why she won’t be in there fighting once again, given her rate of progress, even though this is a tougher assignment. Of course, Epatante is very much the one to beat after what she did in the Champion Hurdle and at Aintree and, if she runs to that level, then we are all firmly up against it.