Min faces strong opposition in John Durkan hat-trick bid

PA Sport Reporters
December 4, 2020 11:15 am

Mullins fields four of eight declared for Sunday’s Grade One.

Min is set to face seven rivals in his bid for a record third victory in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase.

The Willie Mullins-trained nine-year-old joined the likes of Native Upmanship and Djakadam as a dual winner 12 months ago – and will be well fancied to complete the hat-trick on his first start since winning the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Min is one of four runners for the champion trainer, who is bidding to equal Jim Dreaper’s haul of seven victories in Sunday’s feature race.

Mullins also saddles Melon, last seen filling the runner-up spot at Cheltenham for the fourth time when beaten a nose by Samcro in the Marsh Novices’ Chase, as well as RSA Chase third Allaho and Tornado Flyer.

Melon is set to renew rivalry with Samcro, who will be expected to improve from his comeback third at Down Royal last month. His Down Royal conqueror and stablemate Battleoverdoyen is again in opposition.

The Henry de Bromhead-trained Chris’s Dream bids to go one better than when mowed down late by The Storyteller in Down Royal’s Ladbrokes Champion Chase.

A quality Grade One field is completed by Joseph O’Brien’s Le Richebourg, who makes his first competitive appearance since winning for the fourth time in five starts over fences in the Irish Arkle at Leopardstown in February of last year.

It promises to be another big afternoon for the Mullins team, with the Closutton maestro sending his star two miler Chacun Pour Soi to Cork for the Kerry Group Hilly Way Chase – a Grade Two prize he has already plundered on 10 occasions.

The eight-year-old will undoubtedly be a warm order to score on his first start since beating Min at the Dublin Racing Festival in February, with an 11th-hour setback having ruled him out of the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham.

Mullins is doubly represented, with Cash Back also one of seven declared.