Punchestown provided plenty of food for thought for months to come

Punchestown’s two-day meeting last Wednesday and Thursday could be described as a mixture of the past, the present and the future. The Punchestown festival in April marks the end of the season and for many the October fixture at the track symbolises the beginning of the serious jumps season.

And it would be difficult to argue with that description as we saw a few performances over the two days to seriously whet the appetite for the months ahead.

Petit Mouchoir’s chasing debut on Wednesday went very smoothly. Making him favourite for the Arkle at Cheltenham mightn't amount to a whole lot with so many potential rivals for that festival event, but it was a slick performance from a horse who twice won at the top level over hurdles. Two miles looks like being his trip and the Henry de Bromhead-trained grey looks set for a good campaign.