ANTICIPATING whether Cheltenham Festival formlines can hold up at Punchestown is one of the biggest factors for punters to weigh up at the season’s finale meeting, and today’s Grade 1 Ballymore Champion Four Year Old Hurdle (4.50) is one of the tougher contests to consider this week.

There was a massive gulf in prices between Poniros and Lulamba when the pair finished first and second in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham 50 days ago, the winner (by a neck) sent off 100/1 and the runner-up 11/4. That picture is much different heading into their Punchestown rematch.

As of yesterday afternoon, Lulamba remained the market’s preferred choice at around 7/4, while Poniros, who was pulling off the truly extraordinary feat of winning the Triumph on his hurdling/stable debut, was available to back at 3/1. Is the market paying enough respect to Willie Mullins’ quality recruit from the flat, given he defied such inexperience to collect in the Cotswolds?

There is also an argument that Lulamba was caught cold when pipped on the line last time, having been drawn into battle earlier in the race than the winner.

Nicky Henderson, seeking a fifth win in this grade after previous victories with Katarino (1999), Punjabi (2007), Grandouet (2011) and Fusil Raffles (2019), is hoping the result of his handicap hurdle one-two on Thursday bodes well for Lulamba.

“It was great to get a winner on the board heading into our Grade 1 runners at Punchestown when Jeriko Du Reponet won,” said Henderson.

“Lulamba mightn’t have really had an opportunity to battle back in the Triumph the way he was challenged late by Poniros, but they have every reason to believe they should improve from their run at Cheltenham. I think our horse is improving on the whole but I can’t say that he’s better than he was at Cheltenham because he isn’t. We’ve got to have a rematch.

“We had Doddiethegreat and Jeriko Du Reponet finish first and second at Cheltenham only to end up the other way around at Punchestown this week. Wouldn’t it be great if we could get these two to do the same from their Triumph meeting?”