Cork All Star will create a little bit of racing history today if he can add the Grade One Paddy Power Champion Bumper to his memorable Cheltenham Festival victory last month. A total of four Cheltenham winners have attempted to follow up here at Punchestown but all have failed, including when Montelado failed to confirm placings with Tiananmen Square in a memorable first renewal back in 1992.
Cork All Star will have four old rivals from Cheltenham to take on again, including the runner-up Sophocles, as well as some smart types who bypassed the delights of Prestbury Park to keep their powder dry for this afternoon's €110,000 event.
That policy has paid off in the past but the evidence we have to go on so far is that the Cathal Ryan-owned favourite is an exceptional bumper performer whose latent speed is likely to be too potent a weapon for this opposition again.
Unbeaten in four starts to date, Cork All Star is about as far removed from the archetypal stoutly-bred bumper horse as it is possible to get. By the champion two-year-old Fasliyev out of a half sister to the 1,000 Guineas winner Ravinella, Cork All Star always travelled like a winner for Barry Geraghty at Cheltenham and ultimately didn't look all out to win.
Geraghty was hugely impressed with the horse who has won on all types of surfaces and who has already schooled like an old pro ahead of a hurdling career next season.
Sophocles ran a smashing race last month but a bigger danger to Cork All Star could be the fourth that day, Shirley Casper, who overcame doubts about the undulating track suiting her to run a big race.
Philip Fenton's Grade Two winner travelled beautifully through the frenetically run Cheltenham contest and it may well be that this speedier course will suit her even more.
She has three lengths to make up and while Shirley Casper can close the gap to Cork All Star, it's hard to see her fully bridging it.
Shuil Aris has only a short head to bridge with Grangeclare Lark from Fairyhouse running in the Grade Three mares hurdle and on 3lb better terms, and Ruby Walsh now on board, Paul Nolan's horse looks hard to oppose. Shuil Aris looked somewhat unlucky at Fairyhouse and in another stride would have got back up. That was her first start since November so it's reasonable to expect no diminution of form.
Walsh will also be heavily fancied in the €75,000 handicap hurdle where he teams up with Bobs Pride for Dermot Weld. The former Group Three Ballysax Stakes winner absolutely bolted up in a good handicap at Fairyhouse earlier in the month and even a 10lb hike in the weights might not be enough to stop a follow up.
Royal County Star is also 10lb higher in the ratings for a smooth success at Fairyhouse last time out and although Tony Martin's horse also drops back quarter of a mile for the handicap chase, he still looks to have a big chance.
