Punchestown Gold Cup: David Jennings on why Melon makes plenty of appeal
5.55 Punchestown
Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup (Grade 1) | 3m½f | 5yo+ | RTE2/RTV
We might not have this season's Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, but we have the winner of the previous two plus a two-time King George winner and the winner of this race the last time it was staged in 2019. The six remaining runners have a dozen Grade 1 wins between them and five of them are rated 164 or higher. This is very much an up-to-scratch renewal.
Minella Indo was ruled out on Monday with a bruised foot and the absence of the highest-rated chaser in training obviously takes some of the gloss off this €250,000 contest. He will end the season top of the pile unless Al Boum Photo or Clan Des Obeaux produces an outstanding performance here.
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- 5.15 Newbury: will the Listed Fillies' Trial throw up another Group 1 performer?
- From Palio to Chantilly: Maurizio Guarnieri's journey to becoming Big Rock's new trainer
- 'Absurdly well treated' and 'absolutely thrown in' - four of our five jurors are in agreement over their London Gold Cup fancy
- Who will be the latest stars to emerge from a Newbury card that has provided plenty of Royal Ascot pointers?
- 3.00 Newbury: 'We've aimed him at this race for quite some time' - trainers on their London Gold Cup contenders
- 5.15 Newbury: will the Listed Fillies' Trial throw up another Group 1 performer?