Sunday Tips: 'Jack Kennedy is Cork-bound on Sunday' Sunday is a cracking day for fans of jumps racing with the Grade 1 John Durkan at Punchestown joining a good card from Cork. They race at Mallow from 11.30am-3.20pm and the concluding William Hill Each Way Extra Challenge Series Irish EBF Beginners Chase is where we are focusing. A field of 16 are set to face the starter, with €9,300 on offer to the winner, and we've picked out two contenders worth noting. Kennedy heads for Cork Jack Kennedy is Cork-bound on Sunday while Punchestown's Premiere Weekend concludes. It's certainly notable that Gordon Elliott's number one rider comes here but presumably it's the likes of Kala Conti and Jalon D'oudairies earlier on the card that have brought Kennedy south. In this closing contest he partners the Gigginstown-owned Kish Bank. The six-year-old went off 7/4 favourite in this month's chasing introduction at Fairyhouse over an extended three-miles but could only finish fourth, beaten 14-lengths. He should come on for that first start since April and remains lightly-raced after just seven starts under Rules, so the Tinahely point-to-point winner isn't dismissed in haste with a pair of first-time cheekpieces deployed now. Morris' debut to paint winning Portrait The likes of Nowwhatdoyouthink and Hitak don't set the bar too high for the chasing newcomers. The latter could go well under Danny Mullins for Shark Hanlon but any rainfall will count against them and the eight-year-old was well behind Kish Bank at Fairyhouse recently. Mickie Angel finished in front of them both but Denis Hogan's charge is no certainty to uphold that form now. Robcour shelled out €230,000 to acquire AUTOPORTRAIT at the Arqana Sales in November 2023. The Authorized gelding shaped well in maiden hurdles over a variety of trips from 2m-3m last season — including when second to smart prospect Lovely Hurling at Naas in February — before getting on the scoresheet at Navan (2m4f, soft) in March. He didn't seem to stay the near three-mile trip on his final start in the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Novice Handicap Hurdle Series Final at Fairyhouse in April. This intermediate trip looks like a good starting point over fences and it should come as no shock if the Mouse Morris-trained five-year-old is soon going forward now jumping fences. Neville's outsider worth some Love Trainer Seamus Neville could be saddling an outsider worth keeping tabs on in ONLYMAMMYCANLOVEME in his family silks of emerald green and orange quartered hoops. The six-year-old shaped nicely at times last season over hurdles, including when battling to win a maiden at Clonmel (2m3f, heavy) on St Patrick's Day, having finished fourth as no less than Final Demand won a Limerick maiden last Christmas. He'd also finished third in a January bumper at Fairyhouse over 2m won by Declan Queally's I'll Sort That, with The Flying King in second for Gordon Elliott. The winner has progressed to win 4-5 starts since and he held off The Flying King in the Grade 3 Bar One Racing For Auction Novice Hurdle at Navan on Monday. Winner of his only start in a point-to-point at Tralee in the early part of last year, Onlymammycanloveme would always have been deemed likely to show his best over fences. He had a pipe-opener over hurdles here at the start of the month, attempting to make all the running and fading late on in the manner of a horse that would have needed the run. The excellent Tiernan Power Roche takes off 3lb in the saddle for this fencing bow under Rules and they can outrun the forecast odds.
