John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase |
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| Grade 1, Punchestown 15:00 €150,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 2m 3f 150y, Class 1  |
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This is shaping to be one of those early-season crackers, the sort that has you leaning a little closer to the monitor as the declarations come through. We’ll see the brilliant Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Inothewayurthinkin back in action for the first time since that unforgettable triumph over Galopin Des Champs, with the latter not among Tuesday’s entries.
Fact To File sees victory in a star-studded renewal of the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase under an excellent ride from Mark Walsh!🏆@WillieMullinsNH pic.twitter.com/RYifPNjnuY
— Punchestown (@punchestownrace) November 24, 2024
The stage is set for him to square up against the runaway Ryanair winner and defending champion Fact To File in what promises to be a contest brimming with top-class talent. Willie Mullins, never a man to arrive lightly, also sends out the four-time Grade 1 winner Gaelic Warrior, as well as the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase victor Lecky Watson.
There’s depth wherever you look: Grand National winner Nick Rockett lines up for Closutton alongside the 2024 National hero I Am Maximus and Grangeclare West, who chased Nick Rockett home in second and third at Aintree.
Inothewayurthinkin, last seen delivering that monumental Gold Cup success, now takes his next step, while Henry de Bromhead adds further intrigue with Heart Wood.
And don’t overlook Fastorslow. The Martin Brassil-trained star returns after finishing fourth in this race last year, an injury on the day ruling him out for the remainder of the campaign. He’s back now, and his presence adds yet another thread to a tapestry already rich with storylines.
John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Steeplechase
€150,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 2m 3f 150y, Class 1
11 remaining entries
Going: Soft to Heavy
NO. FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY
1 12314- Fact To File 8 - W P Mullins
2 2U1/4- Fastorslow 9 - Martin Brassil
3 /2311- Gaelic Warrior 7 - W P Mullins
4 62535- Grangeclare West 9 - W P Mullins
5 242P-1 Heart Wood 7 - Henry De Bromhead
6 1/P82- I Am Maximus 9 - W P Mullins
7 /7541- Inothewayurthinkin 7 - Gavin Cromwell
8 30551- James Du Berlais 9 - W P Mullins
9 /111F- Lecky Watson 7 - W P Mullins
10 /4111- Nick Rockett 8 - W P Mullins
11 1P-502 Senecia 8 - Vincent Laurence Halley
