Punchestown Wednesday Tips: Back Ziggy to sprinkle some stardust

• Mark Milligan lines up a pair at Punchestown

• Salvador Ziggy to stay better than the favourite

• Grangeclare West to take advantage of drop in class

The highlight of the second day of the Punchestown Festival is undoubtedly the Punchestown Gold Cup (17:55), which features a rematch between the first and second from the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Galopin Des Champs and Bravemansgame.

The former put the latter well in his place at Prestbury Park, advancing his form even further and establishing himself as the undisputed leader in the staying chase division.

Whether Bravemansgame quite saw out the 3m 2f trip as well as his conqueror that day is open to debate, and he could well bridge some of that seven-length gap dropping back to 3m over this less testing track.

Paul Nicholls' gelding was very good over a flat, right-handed 3m in the King George at Kempton and this course will play more to his strengths than Cheltenham.

Will that be enough to see him reverse the form?

For me, it's unlikely, although I do expect him to get a bit closer to Willie Mullins' 8-y-o this time and it could well be a race to savour rather than one to have a bet in.

Intriguing clash in the bumper

There are two more Grade 1s on the card, the latter of which is the 2m Champion I.N.H. Flat Race (18:30), which will see Cheltenham Champion Bumper winner A Dream To Share look to cement his place as the leader in this division.

By flat sire Muhaarar out of a Galileo mare, it's perhaps no surprise that the John Kiely-trained gelding has proven to be too speedy for his bumper foes as he's racked up an unbeaten sequence of four runs.

There was perhaps a slight doubt about whether he'd see things out on testing ground at Cheltenham but he allayed any fears there, recording another convincing success.

I expect him to confirm that form meeting several of the beaten horses again, but he could face a stiff test from Tullyhill, who was a smooth winner on debut and will be coming into this fresher than most.

Again, not a race I'm desperate to get involved in but one that should make for good viewing.

Ziggy a good each-way angle

The remaining Grade 1, the 3m Irish Mirror Novice Hurdle (17:20) makes more appeal from a betting point of view, particularly as I'm not convinced about short-priced favourite Gaelic Warrior trying this trip for the first time.

If he stays he probably wins, but I thought there was enough of a doubt to take him on each-way with something and Salvador Ziggy is tempting despite his price being shorter now than it was earlier in the week.

A tall gelding who will make a fine novice chaser next season, Gordon Elliott's charge racked up a fine sequence of four wins from May to August last year but proved that he was more than just a summer jumper at Cheltenham last time.

Given a break since October, Salvador Ziggy ran a fine race to finish second to Good Time Jonny in the Pertemps Network Final, mowed down only late on by a rival who produced an astonishing burst.

The form of that race has a really solid look to it, and while he'll need to step up again to beat the likes of Gaelic Warrior, he won't lack for stamina and will be well positioned to exploit any chinks in that one's armour over this trip.

Mullins' West the one to side with

My other fancy on the day is Willie Mullin's Grangeclare West in the 2m 4f Louis Fitzgerald Hotel Hurdle at 16:45.

A £430k point-to-point winner, this Chelevely Park-owned gelding looked to have a big future as he won his first two starts for his current trainer, first in a bumper and then comfortably taking a maiden hurdle at Navan in November.

He's been quite highly tried on his two subsequent starts in Grade 1 company and hasn't really been up to the task, but he could make an impact at that level sooner rather than later.

He was perhaps just a bit too raw and inexperienced for those sorts of tests at this stage of his career and a drop back into this company could well see him return to form.

Likely favourite Imagine just about sets the standard on form and he ran creditably when fifth in the Martin Pipe at Cheltenham last time but I'm hopeful that Grangeclare West will have too many guns for him.