5.25pm Punchestown

Noble Park

We don’t really know what went wrong when he disappointed at Kempton on Boxing Day, but we can probably blame his subsequent below-par run at Doncaster due to 3m on testing ground. But he was back to form when returning to 2m4f and better ground at Newbury last time, and hopefully he can still be competitive here off a 7lb higher mark in a deeper race. We brought him over to contest a handicap hurdle here at this meeting last season and he didn’t perform, but I’d say he will give a better account of himself here, for all this is a hugely competitive handicap, as it should be for the money.