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Enjoyment of racing is often as much in the anticipation as in the event itself, but once again, Punchestown’s banks course produced a race to savour in the Mongey Communications La Touche Cup yesterday.

The race had been slated as a chance for 2024 Grand National second Vanillier to finally get his head in front in a big race, and in so doing, put pressure on Crystal Cup leader Josef Vana by closing the gap to a point or two. But neither Vanillier nor the other contenders had read the script, and it was long time second, Busselton, who made a memorable afternoon, capped by a double in the later mares hurdle, for Joseph O’Brien, who saddles Scorthy Champ in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday.

Busselton, who had tracked leader Vanillier from flagfall, was left in front when Keith Donoughue was unseated from Gavin Cromwell’s favourite at the 12th, and made the best of his way home. He was joined and briefly headed at the last by 2023 Kerry National winner Desertmore House, before finding more to win by 3/4l, Three By Two a neck behind in third. Vital Island put in a seasonal best to finish 10l back in fourth.

This 4m1f contest, which holds a place in punters’ hearts way more than its prize fund might suggest, has a habit of producing winners to warm the heart. The past three winners have been aged 15, 11 and 14, encouraging the thought that the race – the longest in the Irish calendar – re-enthuses horses that have lost a little speed, or their enthusiasm for the game. As yesterday’s result indicates, not just in the placed horses, it enables horses to run well above their official rating.

Busselton underperformed at Cheltenham in March, having never featured, but JJ Slevin took much closer order here for a better view of the 31 unique fences. It was his first victory in the race, the same for his trainer.

Joint owners Ronnie Bartlett and Justin Carthy are no strangers to top level success either, and the idea of following the Crystal Cup appeals for this top-of0the-ground performer.

From a Crystal Cup perspective, the race dampened the prospects of a tussle for the Trainers’ Championship. A strong performance from Gavin Cromwell’s pair even in Stumptown’s absence would have put pressure on leader Josef Vana, who stole a march in the early autumn races, and has yet to be headed. In the event, second string Peaches and Cream could do no better than finish sixth, enabling Cromwell to leapfrog Patrice Quinton into second place with the Lion d’Angers leg to come.

Quinton still has plenty of opportunity to topple the Czech trainer however, as the leaderboard indicates. He saddled 3 of the 10 runners in the 2024 Anjou-Loire Challenge, and win or placed efforts from one or more would be sufficient for a Frenchman to regain the Crystal Cup.

In the meantime, laud the achievement of Busselton, and record the fact he has been well beaten by Stumptown, the Challenge’s leading horse in 2025 on several occasions.

By approximately 3.50pm on Thursday, Josef Vana may well be regretting his decision not to extend his European Crystal Cup adventures beyond mainland Europe, as a strong challenge from Gavin Cromwell in the Mongey Communications La Touche Cup could readily close the gap or even supersede the leading trainer positions.

Cromwell’s Vanillier and Peaches And Cream are two of the 16 runners declared, and Vanillier has an outstanding chance provided his Aintree exertions have not left their mark. Keith Donoghue, who is 2-2 from cross country rides in Crystal Cup contests on Stumptown at Cheltenham, takes the ride in Stumptown’s absence. A win for Vanillier with a start for Peaches And Cream would put Cromwell within a point of Vana, with every incentive to travel to Lion d’Angers on May 29.

Vanillier is the class horse in the race, alongside Martin Brassil’s Desertmore House, whose form figures on the face of it look less than inspiring. However, he’s been competing in illustrious company this term, and this drop in class could be the tonic required to rediscover the winning thread, absent since the Kerry National in September 2023.

Stealthy Tom, Busseltown and The Goffer make up the weight of the opposition. Stealthy Tom is 13lb better in than when a well-beaten third to Vanillier here in February, and trainer Enda Bolger is a banks specialist, but that moniker can also be lent to several other trainers in this field. Stealthy Tom is no Risk of Thunder, three time winner of this race 20 years ago.

Busseltown can run better than his performance at Cheltenham suggests, where he was going backwards from mid-division at the business end of the race and was pulled up.

Eight year old The Goffer has been growing his banks experience this winter with runs here, at Cheltenham, and most recently at Aintree, where he was third to Gentleman de Mee in the Randox Topham Chase. He has ground to make up on Vanillier even so.

The remainder look exposed in this company, albeit a majority already know their way round the 4m 1f course. Denis Murphy fields 4 of which the most interesting is Fralimonto Bilbery, but he, like Richard o’Keefe’s Transprint, ran in Tuesday’s Kildare Hunt Ladies Cup, so may be withdrawn if their exertions have taken a toll.

Peter Maher has left in Jet Fighter and Subset, who both by rights should be running in a lower class renewal of this genre.

Which leaves Tony Martin’s Read To Return, Benny the Duke and 2023 winner Vital Island. This race has been won by a 15 year old, so at 13, age needn’t be a barrier to the last of these necessarily. It’s difficult to make a case for Benny The Duke on current form, and he may be here for the craic.

One opposes Tony Martin at one’s peril, but even that allowing, there are more obvious candidates to have come from this yard, and the market may give as good an indication as any to his chance.

Early entries for the penultimate leg of this year’s Crystal Cup are poised to provide a scintillating climax to this year’s European cross country challenge, with Stumptown heading an all-Irish field for the €40,000 Mongey Communications la Touche Steeplechase on day two of the Punchestown Festival next Thursday.

The two time Cheltenham cross country winner was last seen pulled up 3 out in the Grand National after no luck in running. He is one of three entries for Gavin Cromwell, who has every chance of overtaking Josef Vana at the head of the Trainers’ leaderboard, particularly with a good performance from one or more of his runners. Stumptown though will be saddled with a welterweight of 12st 7lb, 9lb higher than any of his rivals, which may be a tall ask.

Vanillier and Peaches and Cream may represent the Cromwell stable if the Punchestown race comes too soon after Aintree. Vanillier ran with distinction at Aintree, but couldn’t match his previous year’s second place. A more relevant line of form is his 8 1/4l third to Stumptown at Cheltenham, having nearly taken the wrong course early on, costing several lengths.

But the 4m 1f contest is far from just a Cromwell benefit. The Calentra yard of Gordon Elliott includes four familiar entries: Coko Beach, Conflated, Chemical Energy and the Goffer, the latter of which ran an eye-catching race into third in the shorter 2m 5f contest over the Aintree fences a day before the National. Coko Beach has good form over this course, but was beaten here in February by Vanillier when giving 10lb. He can reverse form on that basis.

Conflated will need to improve over these obstacles to figure, although he has been running at the highest level over regulation fences in this and previous seasons. Chemical Energy has ground to make up on Stumptown and Vanillier on Aintree and Cheltenham form.

French Dynamite hasn’t found the sweet spot since winning a Grade 3 chase here in October, and is untested over this extended distance.

Tony Martin has form over these obstacles, and may run Read To Return with Maxine O’Sullevan in the plate. Although rated under 120, Martin is a master at concealing a horse’s true rating until the money is down, so the market may tell the chances for his 8 year old better than the form of his Easter win at Fairyhouse.

A clutch of pointers make up the middle order of the entries list, few of which have a rating. With a choice of engagements across the five days and four cross country races of the Festival, a watching brief is best, although as last year’s result illustrated, no pointer should be ruled out. Indeed, the 2023 winner Vital Island is back for another tilt on the back of a recent success at Lingstown, but at 13, others may have faster legs when it comes to the business end. Trainer Richard O’Keeffe may be better represented by Transprint, 4 years his junior, who was a close third in the shorter Kildare Hunt Club cross country 12 months ago.

The drop in class may suit Desertmore House from Martin Brassil’s stable. The 10 year old winner of three of his 10 chase starts will appreciate the lower calibre of competition from listed status races over the course of the winter, most recently pulled up in the Irish National at Fairyhouse over Easter.

Denis Murphy has entered four, of which the most interesting is 7 year old Fralimonto Bilbery, who hasn’t been out of the frame in 5 runs this winter, but he is held on Lingstown form by Vital Island, and none of these are of the calibre of the higher rated candidates in the race. Empire Builder and Iroko d’Airy are the other two, likely with multiple engagements. Threebytwo was narrowly held by Singing Banjo in this race 12 months ago, but is held by Vanillier of previous Punchestown form earlier this season.

One should never rule out any Enda Bolger – trained animal in this race, especially one owned by champion owner J P McManus. Stealthy Tom is held on form through Vanillier here in February and Stumptown in November, and looks on the downgrade, but banks races can bring about a resurgence of form, and Bolger is a master at rekindling enthusiasm.

Another pointing handler of note is Peter Maher, whose two entries include Jet Fighter and Subset. Subset’s unprepossessing series of Ps belie a win over these obstacles in 2023, whilst this looks a bit hot for Jet Fighter.

Final declarations take place on Tuesday.

A thrilling and eventful race for the Grand Cross de Fontainebleau saw Gentilhomme run out a 6l winner from Ici Avrilly in this 10th leg of the Crystal Cup. Cravache d’Or holder Felix de Giles had the 9 year old handy from the off, even if the lead changed hands a few times during the 6,000m race, run on testing conditions.

In other circumstances, Gabriel Leenders would be challenging for top honours in the Crystal Cup leaderboard, with two horses like Sweet David and Saturday’s winner rooting for him. Sweet David ran second to Roi Mage at Craon back in September before winning at Cheltenham in November, a race that is not part of the Crystal Cup. Venturing outside France again would put him in contention in any other year.

But this was a day to celebrate the achievement of Gentilhomme, who took up the running from the fourth from early leaders Iceo Madrik and Kap My Sun. Ever Forget Me was dropped out, biding his time.

The chance of Czech raider Gap Pierji was blown by losing a mistake at the fifth, and losing his position on the sharp left hand bend after the sixth, where the bulk of the field was pressed for room. Gentilhomme was able to dictate a good pace from the front, Roi Mage handy with Elcond ‘Or Forlonge and Gamsoul in attendance.

James Reveley sent Roi Mage in pursuit of home at the 15th, a full 7 from home, at which point Elcond ‘Or Forlonge cried enough. The leading group of Roi Mage, Gentilhomme, Ici Avrilly and Gamsoul had by now asserted by 10l from the rest. Roi Mage gave way to Gamsoul at the third last, and a mistake at the second last put paid to any chance of the minor places.  But de Giles still had horse under him, and Gentilhomme showed good pace to lengthen his advantage at the line.

A winning performance from Iceo Madrik would have put pressure on Scuderia Aichner for the leading owner position in the Crystal Cup, but without running well at Punchestown, it looks likely the only candidate with any chance of upsetting a second consecutive Cup for the leading Czech owners in Geoffrey Pryde and Roi Mage. The Czech push for Crystal Cup success was decided at Wroclaw, where they amassed a spectacular 18pts, more than 50% of their total, illustrating the importance of running outside your own jurisdiction to amass points.

The leading trainer title, however, is far from a done deal. Josef Vana scraped a point here that still gives him a 7 pt lead over Patrice Quinton, Gavin Cromwell a further point behind. A strong performance from Quinton at Lion d’Angers, where he might yet run several, could upset the odds, whilst Cromwell’s focus looks largely on next week’s Grand National, where Stumptown and Vanillier both run.

So, a thrilling climax to the Crystal Cup awaits; it’s certainly not over yet. The next leg is at Punchestown on May 1st.

Thirteen of the 16 entries have stood their ground for the Grand Cross de Fontainebleau on Saturday in which Josef Vana, Guillaume Macaire, David Cottin and Eric Leray remain double-handed, Leray with three still in, but Patrice Quinton has withdrawn his pair, leaving Vana in a strong position to consolidate his lead in the Crystal Cup.

The race is taking on a guise of the old guard fending off the overtures of the younger generation, with Anjou-Loire Challenge winner Ever Forget Me and Craon victor, Roi Mage, at 11 and 13 respectively, leading the charge against a selection of 6 and 7 year olds in the ascendant.

It’s likely Josef Vana will run both his candidates to ensure maximum points in his pursuit of a second Crystal Cup. Gap Pierji hasn’t run since Wroclaw in October, but that said, his opportunities are limited given the paucity of racing east of Geneva during the winter. Another 10 pts would afford the Scuderia Aichner stable a cushion against any Irish challenge from Gavin Cromwell. Patrice Quinton, second in the Crystal Cup leaderboard, has withdrawn his two contenders.

David Cottin’s attempt to run Iceo Madrik at Cheltenham was baulked by the lack of a British handicap rating commensurate with his French form. This contest has a similar hallmark to his Compiegne win, and with a trouble-free run, he should be able to assert himself easier than his last-to-first effort from off the pace there. Illico, his second runner, hasn’t won since January 2024, and has ground to make up on Ici Avrilly on their Pau January form, even with a 1kg turnaround at the weights.

Guillaume Macaire and Hector Lageneste field Fraga Has and All Right Now. The latter has had a mid-winter break, not running since December, when he enjoyed back-to-back victories at Moulins and Pau but he’s unproven over this distance. Fraga Has was a 7 1/2l third to Iceo Madrik at Compiegne when giving 2kg, and now meets him on level terms.

A surprise entry remaining is Roi Mage, 7th at Cheltenham 10 days ago, who may find this race easier than the Irish Grand National. At his best, he is more than capable of belying his age, and adding another Crystal Cup scalp to his belt.

Of the remaining three, Google de Loued enjoyed a productive 2024, winning three times and being placed in a further 4 of his 11 starts, including a 7 1/2l third to Miss Laura at Saumur in a leg of the  Trophée Nationale de Cross. However, he has something to find at this level. Gamsoul has run once over this distance, when a respectful 10l second to Hip Hop Conti at Pau in December, whilst Kap My Sun makes more appeal off bottom weight, having refound the winning thread here at Fontainebleau a little over a month ago.