'Willie Mullins turns up the heat' - key connections to follow at Punchestown on Tuesday Ireland’s sole meeting on Tuesday is hosted by Punchestown and it should be thoroughly informative. Willie Mullins usually accelerates once December hits and he is sending plenty of runners over to the track. We have seven races to look forward to and the feature race is the Mares Novice Hurdle and Henry de Bromhead’s very promising mare Echoing Silence is among the seven-runner field. Here we pick out an owner, trainer and jockey who could be set for a good day at Punchestown and worth keeping an eye on. Owner - Robcour These familiar white, pink and black silks will be represented by two runners in the beginners’ chase at 12.20, the second race on the card. Robcour have had six winners from their 10 runners in the last fortnight, giving them a strike-rate of 60 per cent. Autoportrait is trained by Mouse Morris and he was a fairly consistent performer over hurdles last season, winning a maiden at Navan in March. He should improve from his seasonal debut but Robcour’s other runner is potentially more interesting. French import Kurasso Blue hails from the Gordon Elliott yard and he managed to win a four-year-old hurdle at Limerick in March and wasn’t beaten far when second on his first start over fences at Thurles recently. There should be loads more to come from him. Trainer - Willie Mullins Willie Mullins turns up the heat once December hits and he has loads of runners on Tuesday, increasing his chances of coming away with multiple winners. He is represented by four runners in the second race and while Paul Townend rides Ballygunner Castle, Port Joulain is unbeaten in two starts on heavy ground and he looks set to thrive in the testing conditions. Townend will then be on board Kilbeggan bumper winner Fillyoureye in the third race and he was second to a useful Gordon Elliott horse on his first start over hurdles last month. He’s likely to improve for the run but he might not even need to in order to win this maiden. Charlus is an intriguing candidate for the Solo Arte - An Irish Art Gallery At Punchestown Hurdle, while both Espresso Milan and Blue Velvet have decent chances in the 1.50. Jockey - Darragh O’Keeffe Darragh O’Keeffe still leads the race for the jockeys’ title, despite the fact that boss Henry de Bromhead has endured a lean period over the last couple of weeks. It only takes one winner to stop the rot however and Echoing Silence could be the one to do it. She lines up in the feature Listed race and looks more than ready for the step up in grade. An impressive winner at Cork last month, the third and fourth have boosted the form by winning since. This mare retains a significant amount of potential. It’s Bilbo also has a fair chance in the opening race, whilst Butch Cassidy and Pookie Holler are worth looking out for too.
