Stars Return To Punchestown Top quality National Hunt Racing returns in earnest this week with Punchestown staging its first race meeting of the winter season. While for the first time since its inauguration the ' Star best for racing coverage chase ' will not feature the reigning Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, there are a number of very interesting protagonists who will have their sights set firmly on major prizes later in the season. Dessie Hughes' multiple winner Central House attempts two miles six furlongs for the first time in an effort to recapture the form which saw him compete at the very top level over two miles for the last few seasons. Explaining the decision to campaign over a new distance Dessie Hughes said 'He ran well over two and a half miles as a novice at Punchestown and we feel that given he is now more mature he will adapt well to the new trip' Another top chaser who will be hoping to recapture past glories is Michael O Brien's former Gold Cup third Forget the Past, this seasoned campaigner will be hoping to capture his fourth career victory at Punchestown. These two rugged campaigners are likely to face a forceful challenge from some of last year's best novices. It will be fascinating to see if Alexander Taipan and Knight Legend two of last year's most improved novices can go on to compete at the top level this season. The main supporting race of the day the ' Ryans Cleaning Services Hurdle ' features the return of Cheltenham winner Ebaziyan who will face a high quality field including former grade one winner Hide The Evidence and recent Tipperary winner Salford City. Racing continues in Punchestown on Thursday next with the feature race 'The Visa International Asia Pacific Novice Chase ' attracting a strong entry of including Michael O Leary's promising chaser Drunken Disorderly and Tom Taffee's highly rated Emotional Article. Commenting on the new season Dick O Sullivan said 'We are delighted with the way the course has come on during the summer and we are looking forward to another great season. The going is currently good and with a small amount of rain forecast between now and Wednesday we expect the ground to remain good for the big race ' The first race on both days at Punchestown is off at 2.45 pm and admission is ? 15 for adults and ? 8 for students and senior citizens.
