Punchestown Tuesday Tips: Kevin Blake backs Blackmore's Journey to end in victory

• Kevin's two for Tuesday at Punchestown

• Conditions will suit Brazil

• Blackmore runner is fresher than rivals

The Punchestown Festival may mark the end of the Irish National Hunt season, but it very much represents going out on a high. Five days of top-class racing made up of Grade 1 races, highly-competitive handicaps, banks races and even a farmer's race to offer something to satisfy everyone's taste.

Roche runner has strong chance

16:50 - Brazil

The first race of interest is without doubt the most competitive on the card, the Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle (16:50), and the one that I am interested is the Padraig Roche-trained Brazil.

The son of Galileo first came to wider prominence when beating the well-handicapped Gaelic Warrior in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. He has since been campaigned in small-field Graded contests, winning a Grade 3 novice hurdle at Naas in November.

His handicap mark hasn't been impacted by those runs and he gives the impression that he will be better suited to the demands of a big-field handicap than a small-field Graded race.

Given a break after being beaten in a two-runner Grade 2 at Limerick's Christmas meeting, he returned to action with an eye-catching mid-field finish in a handicap on the Flat at Leopardstown earlier this month.

That run should put Brazil spot on for this contest and with conditions looking likely to suit, he looks to have a strong chance.

De Bromhead's appealing proposition

18:35 - Journey With Me

The Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase (18:35) is one of the more competitive Grade 1 races on the card. Willie Mullins runs four of the six contenders, but the market doesn't have much between three of them.

One that I'd be happy to take on is Sir Gerhard who has never convinced as being a stayer and is likely to be vulnerable back at this longer trip. He is taking up plenty of the market and his presence makes this race an attractive one to play in.

The one I like against him is the Henry De Bromhead-trained Journey With Me. The seven-year-old has been relatively conservatively campaigned this season, being confined to two starts in Grade 3 novice chase company since winning a maiden chase at Naas back in December.

He has acquitted himself very well on both those occasions, being narrowly beaten by Impervious who went on to win the Mares' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival prior to winning in good style back at Naas last time.

The fact that Journey With Me has been kept out of the white-hot competitive fires of the Cheltenham Festival and Fairyhouse Easter Festival can only be a positive for his chance in this contest.

He comes to it a much fresher horse than his rivals and with him having scope to improve over this longer trip, he represents an appealing proposition.