Punchestown Festival 2025: Betting Tips for Day 2
Three Grade 1’s and three short-priced runners. Can they all win on Day 2 of the Punchestown Festival?
The phrase ‘small but select’ sums up the Grade-1 contests on Punchestown’s Wednesday card. The centrepiece Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup, due off at 5.30 pm, has just four runners, meaning there’s not much value to be had at the best betting sites. Nevertheless, it is a fascinating contest.
Paul Townend and Jasmin De Vaux are expected to land another major Festival prize. ©Getty
Success for 2023 and 2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs will take his career winnings to almost £2 million. However, 2024 King George VI Chase winner Banbridge and Spillane’s Tower, who took last season’s Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase over course and distance, stand in his way.
Monty’s Star, who has only raced at the highest level since losing his novice status and was three-parts-of-a-length adrift of Spillane’s Tower at Punchestown’s Festival 12 months ago, completes the lineup in this enthralling race.
Key Facts:
- Small Grade-1 fields but class aplenty on display at Punchestown Festival Day 2.
- Champs can put Gold Cup rivals on the ropes.
- Jasmin De Vaux fancied with three-mile form in the book.
- Will Bambino Fever complete the Champion Bumper double?
Champs Class Never Went Away
It is no cliché when people say, ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’. The statement makes Galopin Des Champs the obvious choice for this 18-fence three-mile one-furlong contest. The French-bred Willie Mullins-trained star lost no caste in defeat when runner-up in the 2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The race winner, Inowthewayurthinking, was the youngest runner in the field and made the most of his younger legs. In behind, Galopin Des Champs finished 13 lengths ahead of Monty’s Star and that runner was over 20 lengths ahead of Banbridge.
Is there any reason for that form to be reversed? The Irish handicapper has Galopin Des Champs rated eight pounds and more ahead of all three of Wednesday’s rivals. That fact alone makes him the obvious choice and a sound bet at 5/4.
Jasmin’s Three Mile Form Tips the Scales
The Grade-1 Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle (4.15 pm) sees three trainers provide all eight runners. Jasmin De Vaux, the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle winner at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, tops the betting for the Mullins yard.
Honesty Policy, one of Gordon Elliott’s three runners, sits second on the betting list. Purchased by big-spending owner JP McManus ahead of his Grade-1 Novice Hurdle success at the Aintree Festival, this five-year-old will be chasing a four-timer on Wednesday.
Most runners have the potential to show improvement on previous form here – particularly Jarrive De Mee, who has been winning egg-and-spoon races by significant margins – but the top two in the betting are already rated some way ahead of their rivals and have scored on a big stage.
Taking 70 percent of the book, it would be surprising if either Jasmin De Vaux or Honesty Policy does not prevail. The former did put in some disappointing effort earlier in the year. However, proven over Wednesday’s three-mile trip, which is unknown territory for Honesty Policy, Jasmin De Vaux still rates the better bet choice.
Bambino Needs to Avoid the Bounce
Jasmin De Vaux won the Champion Bumper at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, giving him something in common with Bambino Fever, who took the same race this year. However, Jasmin De Vaux subsequently bombed out in the Punchestown Champion INH Flat Race, which makes selecting Bambino Fever for the 2025 edition on Wednesday troublesome.
Will this mare, who receives a seven-pound sex allowance from five of her six rivals, frank the form of her Cheltenham success? Kalypso’chance reopposes again but has ten lengths to find with Bambino Fever on Cheltenham form.
Another rival, Colcannon, is chasing a hat trick, but his latest victory came in a Leopardstown race that was run at a confusing pace, with two lengths covering the first four home.
Ultimately, ‘Cheltenham’ can leave its mark on any horse. But if the version of Bambino Fever that powered up Prestbury’s Park’s final furlong shows up at Punchestown, she will surely win.
Punchestown Day 2 Best Bets
- 5.30 pm – Galopin Des Champs
- 4.15 pm – Jasmin De Vaux
- 4.50 pm – Bambino Fever
BestBettingSites.com’s 2025 Punchestown Festival Preview provides full details of this week’s dozen Grade-1 races and how to watch and bet on them.
