2023 Punchestown festival tips: Friday's best bets from Racing Post experts

Day four of the Punchestown festival is upon us – but who do our experts fancy most?

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Grandero Bello

4.15 Punchestown

By Alan Sweetman

It goes against the grain to oppose the Willie Mullins team in the 2m5f handicap, which the stable has won at six of the last seven festivals, and this year's running has a curious profile since the official assessor has been unable to split three Mullins runners who share top weight on the 148 mark. In addition, all three horses are appearing in a handicap for the first time after contesting Grade 1 races in which they fell short of the required standard.

If the handicapper can't separate them, it is a problem for punters too, so it may pay to focus instead on Grandero Bello, whose joint-trainer Eddie Harty was responsible for the 2012 winner and is thus the only Irish trainer other than Mullins and Jessica Harrington to have won this race since 2005.

Grandero Bello gets 9lb from the Mullins trio and has a fighting chance of upholding Grade 3 Limerick form with Life In The Park as well as confirming Gowran superiority with subsequent Fairyhouse winner Macs Charm. He has developed into a reliable novice and may derive a little benefit from the addition of a tongue-tie.

Grandero Bello16:15 Punchestown

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Jky: Ricky Doyle Tnr: Eddie & Patrick Harty

State Man

5.25 Punchestown

By Kevin Morley

This is best left to State Man, who is comfortably best on trends and has a fair bit in hand on adjusted RPRs. Ratings suggest the race for second is wide open, with Vauban taken to fill the forecast spot.

State Man17:25 Punchestown

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Jky: Paul Townend Tnr: W P Mullins

Impervious

4.50 Punchestown

By Charlie Huggins

Made it four wins in a row when taking the Grade 2 Mares' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last month, beating four of the rivals she faces in a similar contest here. Colm Murphy's stable star stayed on powerfully up the hill on soft ground over 2m4½f so this 2m5f trip at a track where she won a Grade 3 on her only previous visit should suit.

Pink Legend, third behind Impervious at the festival, has boosted the form nicely since by winning twice. It is difficult to envisage any of the Cheltenham challengers reversing the form and Instit, one of two in the line-up who did not run in the Mares' Chase, has already trailed Impervious by 21 lengths when the pair met at Cork in December.