Not every day will work out as well as yesterday did, but, as Hannibal used to say in the A-Team, I love it when a plan comes together!

The undoubted highlight for me was seeing ANNAMIX eventually begin to deliver on what has been expected for quite a while now. No secret has ever been made of the fact that I am not a fan of handicaps, however, inclinations towards ALOHAMORA were handsomely justified on a day when a liking for soft ground and the jockey’s claim proved invaluable.

Redemption

In many ways, today’s card at Punchestown revolves around a redemption mission for the Willie Mullins-trained BLACKBOW. The O’Leary family’s gelding (No, not that O’Leary) was one of the crack bumper horses of a couple of years ago, though having obviously met with a few setbacks in the interim, he has fluffed his lines on his two jumping outings to date. Thus, today’s contest has clearly been identified as a penalty kick and, hopefully, after this assignment, the 7-year-old will go on to much bigger and better things.

12.30: IKNOWWHEREIAMNOW (BRIAN HAYES/PHILIP DEMPSEY)

1.05: CAREFULLY SELECTED (PAUL TOWNEND/WILLIE MULLINS)

1.35: ROXBORO ROAD (SIMON TORRENS (4)/TED WALSH)

2.10: AH LITTLELUCK – EW – (NOEL MCPARTLAN (5)/TOM GIBNEY)

2.40: ANDY DUFRESNE (MARK WALSH/GORDON ELLIOTT)

3.15: MY CLUB COLOURS – EW – (PHILIP ENRIGHT/PAUL NOLAN)

3.45: BLACKBOW (PAUL TOWNEND/WILLIE MULLINS)