JOHN DURKAN

MEMORIAL

PUNCHESTOWN CHASE

(Grade 1)

HISTORY shows us that Gold Cup winners have no divine right to future success but Sizing John delighted connections when making a winning return to action in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase.

The seven-year-old son of Midnight Legend, whose Cheltenham win in March was the middle leg of a Gold Cup treble last spring that also included Leopardstown and Punchestown, was surprisingly uneasy in the market. He disputed favouritism earlier in the day with Djakadam but was allowed to go off at 2/1 while Djakadam, seeking an unprecedented three-in-a-row in this Grade 1, went to post the 5/4 favourite.

There was an early scare for Sizing John’s supporters as Robbie Power’s mount made an uncharacteristic mistake at the second fence but he was flawless after that and consistently out-jumped the front-running favourite. Power let him stride on from three out, where Djakadam made a slight mistake, and he stayed on well in the straight to score by seven lengths. Sub Lieutenant could make no impression from two out and finished a further two and three quarter lengths adrift in third.

A delighted if somewhat relieved Mrs Harrington said: “On the first run of the year you are always nervous, and the mistake at the second fence woke us all up! But he jumped super after that. He’s a super jumper and it’s the first time he’s made a mistake in all the races that I’ve been training him.

“He doesn’t mind heavy ground, not going two and a half miles, it’s just going three miles would bottom him out a fair amount.

“I don’t know where he will go next. It’s always one race at a time but the one place he will turn up all things being equal is in March, and what we do between now and March will depend on the horse. We might go to Leopardstown or the King George or we might miss Christmas all together.

“Robert said he took a good blow at the back of the second last and he was trying to be as easy as he could on him.”

The Moone trainer also reflected on the absence of recently deceased owners Alan and Ann Potts saying, “It’s a strange feeling with Alan and Ann not here and we have to remember them.

“We only went to Alan’s funeral last Monday and it’s thanks to them I have the horses and it’s sad that they are not here to see them reach their full potential.”

Willie Mullins was offering no excuses for Djakadam saying, “He ran grand but it was a great performance from Sizing John. He blundered the third last but I think the winner was going to beat us, so we’ll hope to avoid him. That’s probably the best plan of action! I’d imagine the Leopardstown Christmas Chase (formerly the Lexus) would look the way to go if we run at Christmas.”

Sizing John is now a clear favourite (generally 4/1) to defend his Gold Cup title at Cheltenham while Djakadam, twice runner-up in the blue riband of chasing, is as big as 25/1.