Allaho delivers John Durkan for Mullins
If racing in Ireland on Saturday belonged to Gordon Elliott, who won seven of the eight races at Navan at combined odds of 37,382-1, yesterday the pendulum swung back the way of Willie Mullins, whose five winners included the Grade One John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase with Allaho and Cork’s Kerry Group Hilly Way Chase with Energumene.
Mullins, who was at Punchestown, witnessed Allaho, last season’s Ryanair Chase winner, lead home a stable onetwo-three ahead of Janidil and Melon. However, it was another stablemate, Asterion Forlonge, who was arguably going better upsides the winner when he slipped and unseated Bryan Cooper three out.
“He was very brave,” said Mullins of Allaho, probably the most impressive of all the 28 winners at last season’s Cheltenham Festival. “It’s fantastic to win a Grade One at this part of the season, I’m just hoping it doesn’t take too much out of him. He had a very, very hard race.
“He jumped to his left and we’ll have to investigate that as it’s not something he’s done before. Asterion Forlonge ran a cracker and I thought he was going to go very close.”
The John Durkan was not a race Henry de Bromhead will remember with great affection, however. Envoi Allen was a very so-so sixth while Minella Times, his National winner, took a heavy, tiredlooking fall at the third-last.
If it was back to the drawing board after Chacun Pour Soi finished a tailed-off last in Saturday’s Tingle Creek at Sandown, Mullins at least had the satisfaction of seeing Energumene, another contender for Champion Chase honours in the spring, saunter to an 8½-length success.
With the division’s other leading light also under a cloud – Shishkin is sidelined with an infection – Energumene took several steps up the two-mile ladder with his fifth straight win over fences.
Last season he was taken out of the Arkle a week before his much-anticipated clash with Shishkin, but he bounced back at Punchestown with a 16-length victory in the Ryanair Novice Chase.
Yesterday he was taken on by Notebook, but once he had seen off that rival it was just a case of standing up as he came home in a canter. David Casey, representing Mullins at Cork, predicted the horse would improve a lot for the run.