Horse Racing: Oscars Well among absentees from Punchestown festival events
The racehorse, Oscars Well, was taken out of the Evening Herald Champion Novice Hurdle, a Grade 1 event part of the festival at Punchestown, on Thursday, 28th April.
Oscars Well’s trainer, Jessica Harrington, when speaking to reporters her open day about two weeks earlier said that the horse, acquiring fourth position in the Neptune Novice Hurdle, would definitely be a part of the two mile Champion Novice Hurdle for
which the horse was cited as the favourite. However, on Tuesday, the horse was nowhere to be found among the eleven remaining contestants at the five-day stage of the event.
On the other hand, Oscars Well still holds his position as an entrant for the Cathal Ryan Memorial Champion Novice Hurdle, a Grade 1 event to be held on Friday over a distance of two miles and four furlongs. The entry process for this event will be completed
over five days, ending at noon on Monday, 2nd May.
Another prominent absentee among those set to take part in the longer of the two races to be held on Friday was Zaidpour, trained by the notable Willie Mullins. Alternatively, Zaidpour’s stable mate, So Young, and winner of the Neptune Novice Hurdle, First
Lieutenant, remain in the running for the €80,000 event. Prima Vista, the recent Fairyhouse winner, is also part of Friday’s race.
Meanwhile, Colin Tizzard is ready to put Cheltenham winner, Third Intention, back in the Grade 1 games by entering him in the AES Champion Four Year Old Hurdle, taking place on Saturday, May 7th, the last day of the Punchestown festival.
Third Intention was sired by the talented Azamour and finished the race at seventh position, behind Zarkandar, in the JCB Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March. Nonetheless, he won a Novice Hurdle on the very same track by eight whole lengths
two weeks ago.
The four-year-old’s victory in the Novice Hurdle is the ground for Tizzard’s belief that he should be given another chance at Grade 1 level in the Champion Hurdle. The JCB Triumph Hurdle’s runner up, Unaccompanied, is also set to participate in this meeting.
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