Punchestown Festival Day Three Tips: Back a Diamond quartet in each-way Lucky 15

• Rocky's Diamond a stayer on the up for Grade 1 on Thursday

• Big field selections at Punchestown with five and six places each-way

• Alan Dudman previews day three of the Punchestown Festival with a big price Lucky 15 

Punchestown - 14:30: Back Free Flow E/W five places @ 20/121.00

The opening 14:30 has the numbers but isn't the hottest race in terms of quality with the top weight running off just 119 and a couple appealed at prices for me.

Free Flow is lightly-raced over hurdles but produced a career best performance at Thurles on good ground to hack up by seven lengths in a Maiden Hurdle and a debut mark of 113 doesn't look the most taxing.

That effort was a substantial improvement on his two previous runs in February, both at Punchestown and both on heavy ground. He was scrappy at the end of both races with less-than-fluent jumps, but he was better at Thurles on that score with a positive ride and relished the quicker conditions on officially good.

At 20/121.00 we have the five places and we are pinning our hopes on the selection as an unexposed runner that should appreciate better going.

Punchestown - 16:15: Back Custom Taylor E/W six places @ 16/117.00

Six places are on offer for the 16:15 Listed Handicap Hurdle with 25 runners and we're going with another Declan Queally runner after Tipp For Gold's decent effort yesterday for the yard and Custom Taylor is progressing well with victories in his last two starts.

A win at Limerick in March looked very straightforward over 3m and then he bettered that with a win at Fairyhouse just nine days ago to win the Novices' Handicap Hurdle Series Final.

That was very much a career best and while up in class again today, 128 might not be the ceiling of his abilities and he looks a strong stayer over 3m.

Punchestown - 16:50: Back Karoline Banbou E/W three places @ 13/27.50

Gavin Cromwell's Sixandahalf might take a bit of stopping here as the odds-on favourite for the 16:50 and 8/131.61 favourite, and if the betting on the Sportsbook is anything to go by, the others could be playing for places. Sinxandahalf was a recent non-runner so takes up this assignment and she deserves to be such a short price having travelled like the winner in the Dawn Run at Cheltenham, only to be picked off late.

We have three spots here for the each-way bet and Willie Mullins' Karoline Banbou is dropping in class after running in a Grade 1 at Fairyhouse last time and should find this a lot easier and she finished fourth in the Dawn Run at Cheltenham so has a few lengths to find on the favourite, nine in fact.

Positive tactics might serve her well here as she won from the front in the winter at Fairyhouse and looks very much a horse with a bit more staying power. She won't have the natural speed of Sixandahalf, but she's a big enough price here for at least second or third.

Punchestown - 18:00: Back Rocky's Diamond E/W three places @ 6/17.00

Declan Queally again and his stable star Rocky's Diamond was a revelation in the Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham and for a young horse in that level of race, I thought he ran a great race in fourth and completely outran his odds at a BSP of 39 that day.

As a five-year-old, he most certainly is the young gun in this division that has been crying out for a potential challenger and on Cheltenham, and that capped off a good season having outperformed his price in the Savills Hurdle to finish third before winning the Grade 2 Galmoy in heavy going.

Teahupoo and Hiddenvalley Lake between them are 7/42.75 and 9/25.50 but Rocky's Diamond deserves to be with calibre of horse and Queally can be excited about this young stayer on the up.

April winners at BSP:

Seo Linn 3.3
Push The Button (place) 4.53
Happygolucky (place) 2.31
Iroko (place) 2.87
Bubble Gum 2.81
Billy McGarry 6.08
Moon Over Miami 3.05
Persica 4.19
City Of Delight 3.3,
Ribee (place) 2.56
Cheeky Wink 7.0
Lombron (place) 3.35
Love Billy Boy 6.87
Adamantly Chosen (place) 4.12

Now read more tips and previews for Thursday's racing here!