Let's hear it for bumpers - still a rich source of clues (and profit to the shrewd punter)

Last week Punchestown staged seven bumpers, all keenly contested, interesting in their own right and as a source of clues to the future. I suspect I'm in a minority for relishing how these races for largely untried horses remain part of the festival schedule. 

In a sense, they are anachronistic, given that the bumper, as a staple of the Irish jump racing scene, has been supplanted in recent decades. As fashions have changed, the point-to-point field and France's provincial racecourses have become the prime sources of raw material.

Punchestown's bumper programming may seem like overkill. However, the races are not uniform. The Grade 1 is a championship event; the Goffs Defender Bumper is a sales-based race that serves as a valuable incentive for breeders and vendors; the Grade 3 mares' contest is part of a thoughtfully devised programme that has raised the standard of competition among mares across the jumping spectrum.