2023 Punchestown Champion Hurdle Tips - Will State Man live up to expectations?
- Odds and betting predictions for the 2023 Punchestown Champion Hurdle
- This Grade One will take place on day four of the Punchestown Festival on April 28th
- We're backing Sharjah against odds-on favourite State Man
The main event on the penultimate day of the Punchestown Festival is the Punchestown Champion Hurdle. This great race has been won by many of Ireland's most famous two-mile hurdlers and a new name will enter the roll of honour on Friday.
Here's our free guide to the 2023 Punchestown Champion Hurdle and our best betting tips.
2023 Punchestown Champion Hurdle Odds
| Name | Odds |
|---|---|
| State Man | 2/5 |
| Vauban | 11/2 |
| Sharjah | 8/1 |
| Pied Piper | 12/1 |
| Zanahiyr | 16/1 |
| Colonel Mustard | 66/1 |
2023 Punchestown Champion Hurdle Runners
State Man has dominated the two-mile division in Ireland this season, winning the Morgiana Hurdle, the Savills Hurdle and the Irish Champion Hurdle. Willie Mullins' star was beaten nine lengths by Constitution Hill at Cheltenham, but he was far from disgraced on the day and it's easy to see why State Man is such a hot favourite.
Willie Mullins also accounts for the next two names in the betting. Vauban has finished behind State Man three times this season and returns for a fourth crack. Sharjah drops back down to two miles, following an excellent run behind Constitution Hill at Aintree.
Pied Piper steps back up to Grade One company following a narrow defeat in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham. Stablemate Zanahiyr travels to Punchestown on the back of third-place finishes in the Champion Hurdle and at Aintree. Lorna Fowler's Colonel Mustard completes the field.
2023 Punchestown Champion Hurdle Tips
On this season's form, State Man is going to take plenty of beating. However, the performances of some of his teammates this week has to be taken into account.
Energuemene was almost turned over by a regressing Chacun Pour Soi, following a poor round of jumping. Galopin Des Champs vastly underperformed in the Gold Cup, where he was beaten by Fastorslow, who was rated 26 pounds inferior to the favourite going into that contest. You do get plenty of upsets at the Punchestown Festival, so those performances are easily forgiven, but they should make punters think twice about backing runners at similar odds to State Man.
I'll be having a small bet on SHARJAH, who has bounced back to top form in recent starts.
Having been comfortably beaten twice by State Man earlier in the season, Willie Mullins' ten-year-old was beaten a neck by Fil Dor on heavy ground at Gowran Park in February. Sharjah was then only beaten three lengths under 12-00 in the County Hurdle, before finishing three lengths adrift of Constitution Hill on his first outing over 20-furlongs in the Aintree Hurdle.
Sharjah is a two-time winner of the Morgiana here at Punchestown and finished on the tail of Honeysuckle in the 2021 renewal of this race. Willie Mullins' ten-year-old loves good ground and he offers a decent amount of value against the market leader.
Verdict
Sharjah has been coming back to form in recent weeks and, on suitably quick ground, there's a chance that we could see yet another upset in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle.
Sharjah
Each-Way
@8/1 - 15 Units
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