Schindlers On Hughes' Punchestown List

Schindlers Hunt, who was not entered at Cheltenham due to a clerical enter, is set to take on the top two-mile novice chasers in the Grade 1 Swordlestown Cup Novice Chase at Punchestown on Thursday, April 26.

The seven-year-old, one of 24 Swordlestown Cup Novice Chase, won two Grade 1s at Leopardstown impressively this season before falling last time out at Naas on February 25.

'He runs in the Powers Gold Cup at Fairyhouse and he'll then go for the Swordlestown Cup if all goes well,' reported trainer Dessie Hughes. 'We've been keeping him for those two races.

'He missed Cheltenham but he's fit and well. I don't think he minded the heavy ground at Naas last time but he had some mucus in him when we scoped him afterwards, so I suppose he wasn't 100 per cent. He won on heavy ground at Leopardstown over Christmas but I'd say he'd possibly be better on good ground.'

Fair Along, Jack The Giant, Faasel and Another Promise, respectively second, third, fourth and fifth in the Irish Independent Arkle Chase at Cheltenham, are also entered in the Swordlestown Cup Novice Chase as is Don't Push It. Pablo Du Charmil, a three-time winner for David Pipe this season, is another interesting entry.

Meanwhile, an ultra-competitive renewal of the Betfair.com Novice Handicap Chase is in prospect on Friday, April 27.

There are 69 entries in the 2m 5f contest including 18 trained in Britain and one from France, the Thierry Doumen-trained Moncadou. National Hunt Chase first and second Butler's Cabin and Character Building are in the EUR110,000 event as is Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Handicap Chase hero Cloudy Lane, trained by Donald McCain Jnr, and his stablemate Regal Heights, an easy winner of his last two starts.

The Irish National Hunt Festival runs from Tuesday, April 24, to Friday, April 27, and offers record prize money of EUR2.5 million this year.

The going at Punchestown is currently YIELDING