John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase
Grade 1, Punchestown €85,000 added, 5yo plus, 2m 4f, Class 1
Sunday 11th December 2016

1 Djakadam 4/5F
2 Outlander 9/1
3 Sub Lieutenant 4/1
5 ran Distances: 1¼l, 1¼l, 20l
TIME 5m 16.10s (slow by 21.10s)

Djakadam
© Caroline Norris

Ruby Walsh's decision to partner Willie Mullins' dual Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up Djakadam on his return to action in the Grade One, rather than head to Cork for the Hilly Way Chase ride on superstar Douvan, paid dividends with a determined success.

The 4-5 favourite tracked the front-running Sub Lieutenant until touching down over five out in a share of the lead, and little separated the pair over the next few fences.

Outlander was stalking them and emerged as the chief threat when Djakadam took it up, but the market leader's superior stamina came into play as he stretched a length and a quarter clear.

Mullins said: "I'm happy that he's learned to find a leg at last, when he made a mistake at the one going down the hill.

"We'll probably try to do what we did last year. I'm delighted that he could win that first time out, and he's making progress.

"I just wanted to get today out of the way first, and we'll see where we go from here."

Sky Bet trimmed Djakadam to 8-1 from 10-1 for the Gold Cup, with the same firm going 7-2 from 5-1 for the Lexus Chase.

The John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Steeplechase
€85,000 added, 5yo plus, 2m 4f, Class 1
5 ran
Going: Yielding to Soft