Key Points
- My Day 5 betting tip was second in this race last year
- His trainer is a master with marathon chasers
- He ran a cracker in a first time visor last time and it’s retained here
We are back at the Punchestown Festival for the last time today, as it’s the fifth and final day of this year’s event. It’s been a challenging Festival so far for my selections but hopefully we can finish with a bang!
As well as daily betting tips, I produce other types of content for my four articles per week and that can include big race trends or antepost selections. If you haven’t already, check out my antepost selections for the 2026 Cheltenham Festival and 2026 Grand National to ensure you get on at the early prices!
Betting advice
- 15:05 Punchestown -
Your Own Story
@ 10/1 (6 places) - 1pt each way
Back Your Own Story with BOYLE Sports!
BOYLE Sports are my recommendation for backing Your Own Story. First and foremost, they have the joint-best price at 10/1 and six places on offer. As well as this fantastic value, they have a superb sign up offer too.
Bet £10, you’ll get £20 of free bets. What's not to like!
Your Own Story can write his own history!
Lucinda Russell brought Your Own Story over for this race last year but he came up just short. I think he can go one better this year and make the journey across the Irish Sea worthwhile for these Scottish raiders. In this article, I’ll explain why I think he can go one better this time around!
He was second last year but he can go one better this time around
I actually advised Your Own Story as a bet for my Discord members in this race last year and he was agonisingly denied at the finish. Prior to running here last year, he won off 117 over 3m7f and nearly followed up over 3m 4.5f off 124. However, he lacked the speed of the winner at the finish, even over that trip! He was denied just half a length after the pair pulled clear. He went up to 127 after that and raced from 1lb out of the handicap in the 2023 Scottish Grand National off 128 but could only finish sixth. I think he just lacked the class of those ahead of him that day. After a couple of runs over inadequate trips, they came here off a mark of 125.
It did not all go smoothly for him in this race last year though. He was racing prominently when he was hampered by a faller at four out and he was subsequently left in the lead, likely far sooner than they would have liked for him. From that point on, Patrick Wadge had to play the hand he was dealt and pushed on. However, doing the donkey work took its toll and he was headed in the final strides by one carrying a stone less.
He comes back off an identical mark of 125 this year and this has likely been a plan 12 months in the making. Whilst he is off the same mark, he actually carries 5lb less this time around which is a help and between that and hopefully a kinder run around this time, I think he has an outstanding chance of going one better.
Lucinda Russell is a master at producing marathon chasers
As trainers go for these marathon chases, you couldn’t ask for much better than Lucinda Russell and Peter Scudamore. The pair know how to win these long distance races and have an excellent CV. They have won the Grand National with Corach Rambler and One For Arthur. They have also won the Edinburgh National with Inis Oirr and they won the Scottish National with Mighty Thunder. You can also add to that other races such as the Scottish Borders National with Big River too.
Whilst they can produce these marathon chasers, they thrive with staying chasers in general as we have seen in recent years with Ahoy Senor and Apple Away and even more recently with Myretown winning the Ultima at the Cheltenham Festival.
When they set a target for a horse, they don’t tend to be too far away and after his second last year, I’d say it’s no coincidence that he turns up here again. I feel straight after that race they would have felt they had unfinished business here and this has been the plan ever since. I think that level of planning can pay off and he can go one better this year.
After his second in this race last year, he was put away for a well deserved 183 day break. He went up 5lb for that performance and subsequently returned off a mark of 130 and between that and the absence, he pulled up on his return at Carlisle over 3m 2f. They then had a go at the Scottish Borders National with him, a race they have won before with Big River as mentioned earlier and he could only finish second. However, there was no shame in that, he just bumped into Bretney on a going day.
They let him take his chance in the Welsh Grand National just 19 days later and he understandably didn’t produce his best but he still finished a respectable sixth. After allowing him a 57 day break to get over that, he returned in the Eider Chase but he could only finish fifth before being disqualified, as Patrick Wadge failed to weigh in.
However, I was very pleased with his latest run up at Kelso. He was back down to 3m 2f which is on the short side for him and he was up against his well liked stablemate Cadell. That trip is much more to Cadell’s liking, he is two years younger and in all honesty, he probably has a lot more potential that Your Own Story. Cadell pulled away to be two lengths ahead at the last but Your Own Story knuckled down and made a race of it, going down by just half a length. I really liked that attitude shown that day and the first time Visor certainly seemed to do the trick. Therefore, I’m very happy to see the Visor has been retained here.
Can Your Own Story go one better?
When you consider the various elements, I really think that Your Own Story has an outstanding chance. Whilst I am biased as I tipped him and backed him, I felt he was an unlucky loser last year. He was hampered, he was left in front a long way out and the rain on the day made it even more of a stamina test as well. Without those factors, it may well have been a different result.
It looks like he has been campaigning to go one better this year and off the exact same mark, he must have a real chance of doing so. Both Your Own Story and Patrick Wadge will have the valuable experience of last year under their belts now and Your Own Story also has the benefit of wearing a Visor this time around, which got a good tune out of him last time out.
The horse who nabbed him last time, The Gradual Slope, reopposes again. However, he received 11lb last time and with his jockey’s claim, it became a stone. But this time around he only receives 8lb, and his jockey is unable to claim, which means that Your Own Story is 6lb better off. Judged on the losing margin of just a neck, Your Own Story should reverse that form but considering the bad luck he encountered on the day last year, you would certainly fancy him too.
Your Own Story has finished 2nd off marks of 124, 125, 125, 126, 127 and even 128, so we know he can be extremely competitive off this mark of 125. At the very least, I’d fancy Your Own Story to be finishing in the first six and that would provide us with a profit from the place money but I think he can land the lot for us today.
More fantastic offers for you!
Check out the offers below that are currently available with our bookmaker partners. There is fantastic value to be had in their sign up offers that are exclusive to new customers, so if you do not already have an account with some of these brands, make sure you check them out!
My Discord members enjoyed great success during April!
Whilst I post four articles each week for betting.co.uk providing free betting tips, the majority of my selections are exclusive to my Discord members.
The Discord members have enjoyed an incredibly profitable April including 10/1 and 28/1 winners earlier this week over at the Punchestown Festival.
If you would like to
give the Discord a try, I have a free 7-day trial currently available!
If you have any queries before joining, my DMs are open over on X - @RacingGav
The latest sports news with betting.co.uk
The latest sports news with betting.co.uk
The latest sports news with betting.co.uk
The latest sports news with betting.co.uk
