Donn McClean reflects on the week's action in Ireland

Our columnist dissects Sunday's John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown and there are plenty of horses who caught his eye elsewhere.

Min did well to win the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown on Sunday again. It was an outcome that was consistent with market expectations, but the victory wasn’t quite as emphatic as it had been 12 months ago.

He led from flagfall this time, in contrast to last year, when he didn’t hit the front until he had landed over the second last fence. But it isn’t that he can’t lead. He made all when he put up one of the best performances of his life in winning the Melling Chase at Aintree last April by 20 lengths.

Willie Mullins’ horse was a little careful at one or two of his fences, he made a mistake at the last fence down the back straight, and he was high and deliberate at the second last, which allowed Hardline challenge and pass him on the run to the last. But the Walk In The Park gelding dug deep when Paul Townend asked him to. He was in front again before they got to the final fence, and he stayed on strongly up the run-in to win by just over two lengths.

It was an admirable performance by Min. It was winning the game without quite playing your best. That’s two John Durkan Chases now for Susannah Ricci’s horse, and five out of five on his seasonal debut. His record after a break of 50 days or more since he joined Willie Mullins reads 1211111, and the 2 was in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, when he had Altior in front of him and Buveur D’Air behind him. He goes well fresh all right.

2019 John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase (Grade 1) - Racing TV

He holds an entry in the King George, but it has to be unlikely that he will go there now, in just 17 days’ time. He is also in the Grade 1 Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown a day later over an extended two miles, but that must be unlikely too. Min has run just once after a break of less than three weeks, and that was in the Punchestown Champion Chase in 2018, when he finished fourth behind Un De Sceaux and Douvan and A Toi Phil.

The Ladbrokes Dublin Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival in early February – he has won both renewals of that race under its current guise – has to be his most likely objective again now. It’s a tried and tested formula. After that, we know that he stays two and a half miles well, so the Ryanair Chase may be his Cheltenham Festival target this year.

Hardline ran a big race to finish second. A Grade 1 winner over two and a half miles last season as a novice, Gordon Elliott’s horse shaped as if two miles was too sharp for him in the Fortria Chase at Navan on his seasonal debut, and he re-affirmed the notion here that two and a half miles is his trip. He looked a likely winner when he hit the front between the last two fences and, while he ultimately ceded best to Min, he probably put up a career-best in finishing second. Min was officially rated 17lb his superior going into the race, and he ran him to two and a quarter lengths off level weights.

It looks like the Gigginstown House horse will be kept to two and a half miles now. Gordon Elliott mentioned the Kinloch Brae Chase as a possible next step now, and that fits in nicely: two and a half miles, Thurles, 19th January.

Presenting Percy ran a big race too to finish third. Owner Philip Reynolds said afterwards that they were delighted with that, and they should have been. It was the Sir Percy gelding’s first run since he finished a disappointing eighth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last March, when he was sent off as favourite. There were excuses for that run, he came home lame, he came back with severe bone-bruising, and that was fixable. But you still want to see him bounce back. A couple of weeks’ with vet Gerry Kelly and a half a summer spent back at home with his owner appears to have done the trick.

It was a shame for Davy Russell that he had to give up the ride, but JJ Slevin was an able deputy. Weak in the market beforehand, Presenting Percy jumped and travelled well and, while he got out-paced from the top of the home straight, he stayed on strongly up the run-in to take third place.

Like Min, Presenting Percy is another who goes well fresh. He won his beginners’ chase on his chasing bow, and he won the Galmoy Hurdle last January on his first run in 10 months. Even so, you can expect that he will come on for this run, and you know that he will improve for stepping up from this two-and-a-half-mile trip.

His owner mentioned the Savills Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas as his next step. He could meet Kemboy or Al Boum Photo or Road To Respect or Delta Work or Bellshill there, or some combination thereof. He is back on the Gold Cup trail.

The fourth and fifth in the John Durkan Chase are also worth a mention. Real Steel was prominent from early, just behind the pace and along the inside, and he travelled well to the second last fence. It appeared that he just didn’t have the pace of Min or Hardline from there, but he still kept on, just missing out on third place.

And fifth-placed Voix Du Reve was weak in the market and keen early on, but he too travelled well to the home turn, and he kept on over the last two fences. He won the Grade 1 Ryanair Gold Cup at Fairyhouse last April, and he was travelling well in a red-hot JLT Chase when he unseated at the third last fence.

It is interesting that he holds entries in the King George and in the Savills Chase over three miles, but not in the Paddy Power Chase over an extended two. He could be another for the Kinloch Brae Chase, and he wouldn’t be out of place in a Ryanair Chase. He has Cheltenham Festival form too. He could have won the 2016 Fred Winter Hurdle had he not come down at the final flight.

Willie Mullins completed a feature-race across-the-country double about a half an hour later when Cilaos Emery won the Grade 2 Kerry Group Hilly Way Chase at Cork. Luke McMahon’s horse only had two rivals to beat, and he only had one from the fourth last fence, where Great Field departed.

His sole remaining rival, though, was a formidable rival, a 169-rated rival in Ballyoisin, who went into the race on a high, after putting up one of the best performances of his career in winning the Fortria Chase last month. And Enda Bolger’s horse put it up to Cilaos Emery too, jumping with characteristic alacrity in front.

Cilaos Emery’s jumping looked a little sticky by comparison, but it wasn’t really a fair comparison. He was competing in just his third chase, taking on one of the best jumpers of a fence in training. He settled into his rhythm nicely though, he loomed up alongside the leader as they rounded the home turn, and he jumped on at the third last fence. Danny Mullins just kept him going from there, and he ran out an impressive winner.

The Califet gelding is unlucky, in that he won his beginners’ chase at Gowran Park last January before a setback ruled him out for the remainder of the season. As such, he is not a novice this term, he has to ply his trade in open company, despite the fact that he had only run in one steeplechase before this season got under way. He was impressive in winning the Grade 3 Poplar Square Chase at Naas on his debut this term though, and this was a step forward from that.

He is probably going to have to continue to progress if he is going to be a Champion Chase contender, but it is likely that he will progress. He should improve on the fluency of his jumping as he gains in experience, and he could improve significantly as a consequence.

He is classy, he beat Melon in the Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown in 2017, and he is still lightly raced. He only ran six times over hurdles, and he was off the track for over a year before he won that beginners’ chase at Gowran Park last January. The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a realistic target.

It is impossible to know how the two-mile beginners’ chase at Punchestown would have panned out had Breaken not come down at the third last fence. He held a nice advantage at the time, and Paul Townend hadn’t asked him to pick up, but Jack Kennedy was fairly motionless too on Dunvegan, for all that he was still around six or seven lengths behind the leader. Pat Fahy’s horse had just moved into second place in front of Trainwreck, and he was closing on the leader at the time of his departure. Alas, we will never know. It was great to see Breaken and Paul Townend get up quickly, because it looked like a heavy fall.

We do know that Dunvegan ran out an impressive winner from a useful sort of Noel Meade’s in Valdieu, with the 138-rated Trainwreck back in third. Dunvegan himself is rated 138 over hurdles, but he is only six and he jumped well here for a chasing debutant, so he has the potential to go higher over fences.

Well Set Up continued her forward march when she stayed on well under Ricky Doyle to land the Grade 3 Kerry Group Stayers’ Novice Hurdle at Cork. Mark Fahey’s mare won her maiden hurdle at Roscommon in September over two miles, but she has stamina in abundance, and she continues to progress. She has now won three of her four races over hurdles this season so far.

Last year’s winner of this race, Derrinross, followed up by landing the Grade 2 Dorans Pride Novice Hurdle at Limerick over Christmas, and that looks like a good target for Well Set Up now. She is an exciting mare.

Tornado Flyer stayed on well too to land the Grade 3 Klairon Davis Chase at Navan on Saturday. They didn’t go a great gallop early on, and it looked unlikely for Willie Mullins’ horse when he came under pressure at the third last fence.

Danny Mullins had to switch him to the far side of the two Gordon Elliott horses Eclair De Beaufeu and I’m A Game Changer on the run to the second last fence, where none of the trio was very good, but he picked up well from there, joined I’m A Game Changer at the last, and stayed on strongly up the run-in to win well in the end.

Winner of the Champion Bumper at Punchestown in 2018, Tornado Flyer’s three runs over hurdles last season were all over two and a half miles, so the sedate early pace over an extended two miles here wasn’t ideal. He should get further over fences, he won his beginners’ chase over two miles and three furlongs but, out of a half-sister to Hurricane Fly, he showed here that he has gears too. He is potentially a high-class novice chaser, and he should continue to progress as the season develops and as he gains in chasing experience.

Wide Receiver was impressive too in winning the bumper. Winner of his only point-to-point last February, and bought at the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham Sale 11 days later for £410,000, Gordon Elliott’s horse travelled well through his race for Lisa O’Neill. He travelled best of all to the two-furlong marker he moved well in front and he picked up nicely.

The Gigginstown House horse still looked green, but he came away from his rivals readily, and he left the impression that he would have had plenty more left to give if more had been required. He is an exciting prospect, but Gordon Elliott did say afterwards that he wouldn’t do too much this year, that he is a horse for the future.

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