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Champion Bumper preview

Tue 29th Apr 2014, 14:32

Fine Article (centre, red and white)Fine Article (centre, red and white)
© Photo Healy Racing

Four of the first six home from the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival reoppose in the attheraces.com Champion INH Flat Race at Punchestown on Wednesday.

The Dermot Weld-trained winner Silver Concorde beat Willie Mullins' Shaneshill by a length and a half and again renew rivalry.

Mullins' Black Hercules (fourth) and Killultagh Vic (sixth) are also joined in the line-up by stablemate Aminabad, a Listed winner at Limerick towards the end of March.

Paul Nolan runs Fine Article, a half-brother to his dual Grade One winner Joncol, after an easy win at Gowran Park.

"He's a big horse and is a little bit backward. He did it very nicely the last day but this represents a huge step up in class. I think he's good enough to run a nice race, though," said Nolan.

"I think he's like Joncol in terms of his size but he's got a little bit more pace than him."

David Pipe was successful 12 months ago with the Jane Mangan-ridden The Liquidator

Owner Roger Brookhouse is again represented this year by the Pipe-trained Seven Nation Army. He beat Cheltenham Bumper third Joshua Lane in a Listed event at Ascot before becoming stuck in the mud at Newbury.

Pipe has this year booked another leading female rider in Nina Carberry.

"He was the winner of a Listed bumper at Ascot last season before not handling the ground at Newbury where he was disappointing," the Pond House handler told www.davidpipe.com.

"He has had a little break since then and been freshened up in preparation for this and although again this is a very tough race we are hopeful of a good run."

Brookhouse is also represented by the Tom George-trained Some Buckle, a point-to-point winner who was third in a decent event at Doncaster in February.

Other British challengers are Harry Fry's once-raced Jollyallan, a 15-length scorer at Wincanton, and the Philip Kirby-trained Aniknam, a 10-length winner at Hexham on his only outing to date.