Blast From The Past: Scilly Isles Novices' Chase

Only one horse has produced a Timeform performance rating of 160 in the Grade 1 Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown since the 2000 renewal, and it wasn’t Best Mate when he beat Crocadee by 13 lengths in 2001. It was actually a horse who was, unfortunately, never quite the same again, winning just a four-runner graduation chase from his five subsequent starts under National Hunt Rules.

The gelding in question is Punchestowns, a length and three quarters second to Big Buck’s in the 2009 World Hurdle and imperious when beating Tchico Polos (who’d win both his next start and the following season’s Haldon Gold Cup) by eight lengths in the 2010 Scilly Isles. Punchestown even survived a blunder at the seventh, going on to land the odds with plenty to spare.

After making a successful chasing debut at 9/2-on in the Grade 2 Berkshire Novices’ Chase at Newbury in the November, and then being taken out of the Dipper Novices’ Chase, Punchestown was again sent off at odds-on to win the five-runner Scilly Isles. Serious opposition appeared limited to just Tchico Polo, the dual chase winner who’d fallen in the Feltham on his previous outing starting at 3/1, with Pocket Aces at 14/1 (who’d also won twice before being pulled up in the Feltham) and Commanche Dream and Final Bid both 150/1-shots.

Tchico Polos was sent off in front as usual and held a clear advantage after Punchestowns was almost caught out by a blunder at the tricky downhill fence going away from the enclosures. Punchestowns recovered his poise well enough to cope with the run of seven fences in the back straight without raising any further scares and he saw off Tchico Polos with the minimum of fuss in the straight, with a distance back to Pocket Aces in third.

Granted, the race lacked strength in depth, but Tchico Polos was no pushover, as his subsequent exploits proved, and there’s little doubt that Punchestown’s performance on the day was better than the likes of Medermit (2011), Oscar Whisky (2014) and Bristol de Mai (2016) have achieved in winning the race since. Punchestowns had been a leading fancy for the RSA Chase since his runner-up effort in the World Hurdle, and victory at Sandown made him look very much the one to beat.

In the event, sent off the 2/1 clear favourite in a field of nine, Punchestown finished a well-held fifth behind Weapon’s Amnesty, Burton Port, Long Run and Knockara Beau (not a bad renewal in hindsight). He got on his toes beforehand, but he may well have been found out by the drying ground, with his best form on softer and his previous run on good ground at Cheltenham ending up below expectations.

Punchestowns was just touched off by Pride of Dulcote in a graduation chase at Newbury on his return the following December, and he bounced back from a poor effort in the Cotswold Chase to beat his sole remaining rival Pasco by 11 lengths back in graduation company at Kempton in February 2011, 12 months after his last win in the Scilly Isles. In truth, Punchestown’s jumping was always going to prevent him from reaching his full potential and it again let him down on what proved his final start under Rules (aged only eight) in that spring’s Bowl at Aintree.

That wasn’t exactly the end for Punchestowns, though, as, returning to the racecourse for the first time in two years but still carrying the colours of Judy Wilson, he put on a sparkling display to score in the Singleton Birch Men's Open race (a point) at Brocklesby Park in March 2013. Form is temporary, class is permanent.