Sunday Irish Preview: Ruby makes big decision

There are good-quality cards at Cheltenham and Doncaster on Saturday, but the best jumps action this weekend—certainly in terms of race status—takes place in Ireland on Sunday.

Ruby Walsh had a massive decision to make just before declaration time on Friday morning. The c180p-rated Douvan is unbeaten for the Willie Mullins stable, with his wins including the 2015 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and last March’s Arkle Chase. Walsh has ridden Douvan seven times and won five Grade 1s and a Grade 2, but he has chosen to bypass the opportunity to ride the gelding in the Grade 2 Hilly Way Chase (2.15pm) at Cork on Sunday in order to partner Djakadam in the Grade 1 John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase (2.00pm) over two and a half miles. Djakadam clearly has lots of ability himself—he’s rated c175, won this race last year and has finished runner-up in the last two Gold Cups—but it was still a surprise when Walsh chose him over Douvan. Clearly, the race’s standing has played its part, with Walsh perhaps aware that Djakadam will join an exclusive club of dual John Durkan winners if successful. Just six horses have managed the feat previously, the latest being Native Upmanship early this century, though the 2014 winner Don Cossack surely would have served it up to Djakadam a year ago if he hadn’t had his attentions turned to the King George instead.

Djakadam’s task on Sunday isn’t straightforward, either. Yes, he has a good cushion over his rivals on Timeform ratings, but he needs a good test over this distance—he pressed on early in the straight 12 months ago before storming clear late on—while the opposition each have something to recommend them. Djakadam’s stablemates Black Hercules, last seen winning the JLT Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham in March, and Alelchi Inois, a fortunate winner of the Clonmel Oil Chase last time, aren’t out of things, nor is the former Mullins-trained Outlander, who suffered his most agonising reverse yet when coming down at the last with the race at his mercy in the aforementioned Clonmel Oil. The biggest form danger to Djakadam is Sub Lieutenant who has won both his starts since joining Henry de Bromhead from Sandra Hughes midway through the year. The performance of Outlander in the Clonmel Oil actually paid a big compliment to the same owner’s Sub Lieutenant, who had beaten Outlander by an easy three and a half lengths in the Grade 2 Belfast Chase at Down Royal in early-November, admittedly with the benefit of race-fitness.

Douvan is currently 6/1-on for the Hilly Way, compared to 11/8 about Djakadam for the John Durkan. Douvan has ‘only’ 9 lb in hand over his nearest rival (Djakadam has 12 lb) but no horse has got within seven lengths of him over fences so far and there could well be even more in the locker when it’s required. Quite simply, Douvan is a truly outstanding prospect who has the potential to carry all before him over two miles (will stay further) and it’s no surprise that he’s comfortably odds-on for the Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Gilgamboa, the horse directly behind Douvan in the Hilly Way ratings, is a remarkable horse in his own right, though for slightly different reasons. There can’t be many horses—if any—that have finished in the frame in a Grand National (Gilgamboa finished fourth last April) and then run in a graded race over two miles on their next start, never mind go within a short head of winning as Gilgamboa did when narrowly failing to chin Arctic Skipper in the Fortria Chase at Navan last month. Gilgamboa himself has 14 lb in hand over the third best on the figures, The Game Changer, and should fare best of the rest behind Douvan, whose rider Paul Townend has partnered him twice before, including in the Grade 1 Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree last spring.

There are two supporting Grade 3s at Cork, including the Stayers Novices’ Hurdle, a race won by the aforementioned Black Hercules in 2014. Surprise, surprise, Willie Mullins has the top-rated runner in Screaming Rose, though she has been beaten on her last three starts, including over C&D on her latest one, and possibly the Gigginstown-owned geldings Monbeg Notorious and Rathnure Rebel have more potential. It’s Mullins to the fore again in the Mares Novices’ Chase, with not one but two runners fighting out top-rated status. Daisy’s Gift got back on track when quickly reverted to fences last time, getting off the mark over the larger obstacles at the third time of asking in a maiden at Wexford, but preference goes to Listen Dear who won three of her four hurdles starts and has taken both her outings over fences, albeit with her jumping looking less assured when beating sole rival Thanks For Tea by half a length at Thurles last month.

Other horses to watch out for include the ex-French American Tom, who made an impressive winning debut for Willie Mullins in a Gowran hurdle in November 2015 and makes his return in a beginners’ chase at Punchestown, and Lion In His Heart, who bids to quickly get his fledgling career back on track at the same course after falling when in the process of running well in the Grade 3 Monksfield Novices’ Hurdle at Navan a fortnight ago.