2009 Guinness Gold Cup Preview

The 2009 Punchestown Festival doesn’t waste any time in getting down to the biggest race of the meeting, with the Guinness Gold Cup scheduled to be raced in the 6:05 PM timeslot on Wednesday.

Antepost betting markets have set up Ryanair Chase winner, Imperial Commander, as the favourite to dominate a high quality field featuring a number of familiar faces from the Grand National and Cheltenham Festival.

Amongst the strongest contenders is Jim Dreaper’s Notre Pere, who wisely swerved the Irish Grand National in favour of a shot at Grade 1 glory at Punchestown. However, few of the other runners in the field are lacking in the credentials department and this race could easily result in an upset.

Amongst the outsiders who could upset the apple cart is Carl Llewellyn’s Roll Along, while the likes of Schindler’s Hunt and Cooldine also have the records to suggest that they represent great value on each way bets on the Guinness Gold Cup.