THIS weekend sees the latest running of the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase, the race being named in honour of a man whose popularity was widespread and whose early death, shortly before his 32nd birthday, robbed the racing world of an immense talent.

A straw poll of racing people would probably show that the majority of people would associate John with Istabraq. On the verge of setting up a training yard, John was due to take delivery of Istabraq, a horse whose talent he had spotted while working with John Gosden. A diagnosis of leukaemia meant that the plan to start training was put on hold while he endured treatment and Istabraq moved instead to Aidan O’Brien.

John was also a most talented amateur rider and partnered nearly 100 winners. His family has been associated with many well-known horses, both on the flat but principally over jumps and these include the Group 1 winner Miss Beatrix and the great Cheltenham heroine Anaglog’s Daughter.

The Durkan family chose the Punchestown Chase as the race to sponsor and name in honour of John. Their choice was a wise one and the list of winners reads like a who’s who of the chasing division. Four times the race has been won by a Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, though it is not run at anything close to the Gold Cup distance. Those winners were Captain Christy, Dawn Run, Imperial Call and Kicking King.

In fact the race, first run in 1968, was originally staged over two miles and remained so until 1973. Apart from two years in the 1990s when it was held over two miles and five furlongs, the remaining races have been run over two and a half miles.

The first Punchestown Chase was won by that year’s Power Gold Cup winner Bold Fencer, owned by the American Mrs Miles Valentine, trained by Phonsie O’Brien and ridden by Joe Crowley. The seven-year-old son of Beau Sabreur won by four lengths from the Francis Shortt-ridden Cape, with Pat Taaffe’s mount Ronan, the favourite, six lengths further back. The winner collected £504 and five shillings.

The race could not have had a better start as in just its second year the 1969 Power Gold Cup winner Kinloch Brae, who had beaten L’Escargot in that race, went on to capture the Punchestown race and the Anne, Duchess of Westminster-owned six-year-old was ridden to victory by Timmy Hyde, later the father-in-law of John Durkan. Kinloch Brae was trained by Willie O’Grady.

Six horses have won the race twice, while the most successful jockey in the race’s history is Niall Madden who won it three years in succession as an amateur. Edward O’Grady gave him the leg up on Jack Of Trumps in 1978 and 1979, before Mick O’Toole provided him with a third win on Chinullah in 1980.

No one comes close to trainer Jim Dreaper’s record of seven wins and these started the year after his father Tom landed the third running with East Bound in 1970. Jim’s seven include two of the six horses that have won it twice – Straight Fort (1971 and 1972) and Merry Gale (1994 and 1995). The other three are Lean Forward, Lough Inagh and Carvill’s Hill.

Merry Gale

In 1995 Merry Gale became the fifth dual winner of the race when he won by 10 lengths in the hands of Richard Dunwoody. Trained by Jim Dreaper for Herb Stanley, Merry Gale beat the John Kiely runner King Of The Gales who was partnered by Kevin O’Brien, the man who was on board Merry Gale when he won the Punchestown feature 12 months earlier.

Seven went to post for the race 20 years ago and the first fence saw Imperial Call fall. Four fences later and Klairon Davis made his exit, but the race was all about Merry Gale who led almost from flag fall and never looked in any danger.

Dawn Run

Thirty years ago the Punchestown Chase, then a Grade 2 race, was sponsored by Durkan Bros and a small but very select field of five runners went to post. There was huge interest in Dawn Run who had been off the course for more than 13 months since she landed her first start over fences at Navan in November 1994. That was the year also of her famous Champion Hurdle success.

At Punchestown the seven-year-old daughter of Deep Run was lining up against Bobsline, Royal Bond, Bit Of The Action and Rainbow Warrior. Tony Mullins was in the saddle on the mare, trained by his father Paddy for Mrs Charmian Hill.

Starting at what was to prove very attractive odds of 5/4, the mare took off and showed her rivals a clean pair of hooves, winning easily from Royal Bond, ridden by Tom Taaffe for Arthur Moore. Ken Morgan, Frank Berry and Tom Ryan were all further back on their respective mounts.

Two weeks after the Punchestown Chase Dawn Run faced just two rivals at Leopardstown in the Sean P Graham Chase, beating Buck House at level weights over two and a quarter miles.

The Captain

It is is 40 years since Captain Christy won the Punchestown Chase for jockey Bobby Coonan and trainer Pat Taaffe. The race was sandwiched between the gelding finishing fourth in the Colonial Cup at Camden in the USA a month earlier, and just weeks later his outstanding 30-length demolition of Bula in the King George VI Chase at Kempton.

A very smart hurdler, Captain Christy developed into one of the best chasers of his era and in 1974 won the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the first of two victories in the King George VI Chase. While mostly associated with Bobby Beasley throughout his career, he was ridden to his final big race win by Gerry Newman.

Pat Taaffe trained the son of Mon Capitaine for Jane Samuel. Taaffe had described his charge as second best only to Arkle in terms of ability. Captain Christy was a notoriously erratic jumper and despite a horrible blunder at the last in the Gold Cup at Cheltenham he went on to beat The Dikler comfortably.