Neptune to defend Punchestown title

Apr 9 2008 by Chris Wright, Liverpool Daily Post

NEPTUNE Collonges will aim for back-to-back wins in the Punchestown Guinness Gold Cup in two weeks time.

Paul Nicholls’s grey, was an excellent third to stablemates Denman and Kauto Star in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last month and now he will bid to add another win the Punchestown feature after he was among the 32 entries declared yesterday.

Nicholls said: “Neptune Collonges definitely goes to Punchestown.

“He’s in fine form at home and, since Cheltenham, the Guinness Gold Cup has been his target. He ran a great race in the Gold Cup and I was very, very pleased with him.”

Irish entries include in the 3m1f Grade One contest include Kicking King, who won the Cheltenham and Punchestown Gold Cups in 2005, while Michael Hourigan’s 10-time Grade One winner is likely to have his final run before retirement.

Kicking King’s trainer Tom Taaffe said: “Kicking King worked this morning, looks great and is very well at the moment.

“He is on course for Punchestown.”

Hourigan may also run Mossbank, who was second to totesport Bowl Chase winner Our Vic in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham, and Hi Cloy, who finished 11th in the John Smith’s Grand National on Saturday.

Hourigan said: “Beef Or Salmon will go there and retire. We thought that it would be a good place to retire him and wouldn’t it be mighty if he went out on a high note. “He needs to retire at a place where he’ll be recognised and he’s won that race before.”

Also entered are Grand National third, fourth, fifth and sixth – Snowy Morning, Slim Pickings, Bewleys Berry and Cloudy Lane.

TODAY’S NAP: Cheonmado (3.40pm Bath).