THE kind of detailed one-on-one comparison possible for the Tingle Creek and Henry VIII was not available for the weekend’s other Grade 1, the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase on Sunday, as the other two chases on the card were run at different distances.

Despite a pretty strong field, and a classy winner in Min, the likelihood is that this form is not as good as might be hoped, with 25/1-shot Hardline just two and a quarter lengths down in second.

I have a 159 figure on Min, who got the run of things up front to a degree, meaning that Hardline remains on 157, Presenting Percy returns 156 and Real Steel (who had beaten Hardline convincingly at Punchestown in May) gets 155 compared to 163 at his best. Min ran to 173 once (at Aintree) last season, incidentally.

The John Durkan principals ran the closing stages much quicker than did Dunvegan, winner of the two-mile beginners chase which followed, but that was in part down to that horse getting a solo after Breaken fell when in the lead three out.

It was difficult to tell what would have happened otherwise, with Dunvegan beginning to reduce Breaken’s advantage at the time, but it seems fair to surmise that both would have turned in useful performances: I have them rated equal on 143.

Minella Melody was worth a 131 timefigure in winning a rather weak listed mares’ novice hurdle earlier on the same Punchestown card.

There were three Graded races at Cork on the same day, with Cilaos Emery the star of the show in winning the Grade 2 Hilly Way Chase from the only other finisher, Ballyoisin. In time terms, however, this was nothing special, identical overall to the Grade 3 mares’ novice chase won by Elimay (carrying 10lb less) which followed, though they did omit some fences (and were much faster mid-race) in the latter.

Cilaos Emery gets a 156 timefigure and Elimay a healthy 140 for what was her chasing debut. The Stayers’ Novice Hurdle on the same card was a slowly-run affair in which Well Set Up’s overall timefigure of 90 in no way reflects her likely ability.

The Grade 2 Klairon Davis Novice Chase at Navan the previous day had been a much truer test, in which Tornado Flyer continued to build on his good record with a 145 timefigure in victory.