William Hill Each Way Extra Challenge Series Punchestown Tips Punchestown stages a competitive seven-race jumps card on Tuesday afternoon, featuring three big-field, ultra competitive handicap hurdle races. The first of those at 2.35 has attracted a field of 17 and we’ve given our verdict on the race. Tips NAP: Jake Peter Next Best: Eastmore William Hill Betting Offer Jake Peter set for a repeat Mark Cahill’s JAKE PETER has yet to hit form this season, but there were some encouraging signs from the 11-year-old at Listowel last month and a repeat of last year’s success in this handicap may well be on the cards. The selection scored under his pilot here, Phillip Enright, at odds of 9-1 last season and, while he’s 4lb higher now, he’s 2lb below his last win, which came in a similar contest at Cork last November. He was beaten less than ten lengths at Listowel last month, finishing eighth of the 17 runners and his effort can be marked up, having met with interference on a couple of occasions and in once instance, becoming unbalanced as a result. This track suits, as highlighted by his form figures of 22010 in five handicap outings here and he excels on the forecast good ground (three wins and three seconds from only 13 starts on good). Eastmore is progressing Charles Byrnes’ EASTMORE has had only 13 starts to date and has shown significant improvement of late, winning on good to firm ground at Downpatrick at the end of August before finding just one too good on yielding at Listowel last month. He’s now 7lb above his win, but he’s one of the more likely types in a race lacking in-form horses. Clock open to more improvement than most The Padraig Roche-trained WATCHING THE CLOCK opened her account at Gowran Park at the start of the month on soft ground, striking at the second attempt in handicap company, and warrants respect. She’s up 10lb for that, but is theoretically only 6lb higher with 7lb conditional Peter Smithers replacing a 3lb claimer. This quicker surface is a bit of a concern, but she’s only four and a lot less exposed than the majority of her rivals. Peter Fahey’s BEARAMI CREEK finished two places behind the reopposing Eastmore when fourth at Listowel last month, but the form he showed when winning by a clear margin at Navan previously has been boosted by Gavin Crowmell’s runner-up, Juke Box Rock, who won over fences on his next start. He’s only 9lb higher than that success and the market spoke favourably for him at Listowel and shouldn’t be underestimated. Phillip Rothwell’s KOTKIKO BELLO is another that enters calculations, the five-year-old having shaped encouragingly when third of 15 on her handicap debut on soft ground at Galway in August. She failed to build on that at the same track subsequently, the quicker ground arguably to blame, but she’s only had five starts over hurdles and is 1lb lower than her Galway third.
