Three to watch on day one of the Punchestown Festival

We can't wait

If you are a racing fan then there really isn't anywhere else in the country you want to be over the next five days than Punchestown. The Irish jumps season comes to a close this week and as usual the track will be absolutely packed up until Saturday evening. It's a shame that the weather has turned a week too soon, as there's little doubt that if we had temperatures exceeding the mid-teens it would draw an even bigger crowd than the estimated 110,000 or so expected. Day one has seven races in total and features three mouthwatering Grade One's to kick the week off in style; the Boylesports.com Champion Steeplechase, the Herald Champion Novice Hurdle and the Champion Novice Steeplechase. Here are our picks for the glamour races of day one.

Herald Champion Novice Hurdle 16.20

Willie Mullins is going to be everywhere this week and it's hard to look past the Carlow man for the opening Grade One of the festival with Douvan He took home this title last year with Faugheen, and already with last month's Cheltenham victory under his belt, the horse be a very short price this afternoon. He's an absolute star already and it will take a serious ride from any horse in the rest of the field to try and compete. Henry De Bromhead may have the best chance with Sizing John but with the rest unlikely to trouble those two, we're plumping for Mullins to open his account with a handsome win.

Boylesports Champion Chase 17.30

If Hidden Cyclone is ever to win Grade One then today could be the day. The 'Shark' Hanlon trained mount has come so close over the years but has always just managed to miss out. It won't be easy though. The field is headed by the always impressive Champagne Fever who missed Cheltenham due to a bizarre injury on the boat over. With no water to cross between Closutton and the racetrack this time, Willie Mullins can feel justifiably confident in his chances. He also saddles Twinlight and Felix Yonger so will have plenty of options for the race. A change of headgear announced on Monday is an unusual move by Shark but we think Hidden Cyclone,who will be much more suited to this trip of two-miles than his most recent run at Cheltenham in the Ryanair, can finally come good in front of a home crowd.

Growise Champion Novice Chase 18.40

We think race fans may very well get a chance to see the 2016 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner today and that horse has to be Don Poli. Bryan Cooper will get the opportunity to take the star-mount around in a race that will be a massive shock if he doesn't romp home with at least three lengths to spare. His competition comes in the form of the Noel Meade horse Apache Stronghold, while Willie Mullins' other mount Valseur Lido may challenge but there is no looking past the RSA Chase winner from last month.   If you want to take a look at any of the prices from Ladbrokes on any of the above  you can do so here