Since Punchestown have changed the John Durkan Chase from December to November, they have been reaping the rewards with stellar lineups. And this season is no different.

Two-time Gold Cup hero and former John Durkan winner Galopin Des Champs makes his seasonal return against his old foe Fastorslow.

You also have some of the top novices from last season in Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase winner Fact To File, as well as Grade 1 winners Inothewayurthinkin and Spillane’s Tower, only adding to what should be the most exciting running of the John Durkan ever.

Here, I will give my thoughts on all runners and who will come out on top in Grade 1 John Durkan Chase.

John Durkan Chase runner by runner betting guide

Now it’s time to take a in-depth look into runners of the John Durkan Chase and the best horse racing bookmakers to help you make a winning bet.

🏇 2 Fact To File

• Age: 7
• Weight: 11st 12lb
• Form: /2111-
• Rating: 162
• Jockey: Mark Walsh
• Trainer: Willie Mullins
• Odds: 2/1

Last season’s Brown Advisory winner is a surprising favourite for me here.

All be it that he has massive potential and that this will more than likely end up being his ideal trip, Fact To File faces course specialist Fastorslow and the current Gold Cup winner, Galopin Des Champs.

We must remember that American Mike beat Fact To File the first time out last season, but I’m sure he will be more forward this season.

Many people think he is this season’s Gold Cup winner, but I can’t have him for the Gold Cup or the John Durkan. Come Cheltenham, I can see him lining up in the Ryanair Chase.

His form could be better, and that was not the real Gaelic Warrior he beat at the Dublin Racing Festival this year.

This will be his first time going right-handed on a race course, so you also have the question of whether he is as good going right-handed.

I’m happy to take him on here.

✅ Grade 1 Cheltenham Festival winner
✅ Comes with considerable potential

❌ Beaten first time out by American Mike last season
❌ First time racing right-handed

Star rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

🐎 Bet on Fact To File with talkSPORT BET 🐎

🏇 3 Fastorslow

• Age: 8
• Weight: 11st 12lb
• Form: /12U1
• Rating: 171
• Jockey: Derek O’Connor
• Trainer: Martin Brassil
• Odds: 9/4

Fastorslow has won on his last three runs at Punchestown, all in Grade 1s.

Last season, he took full advantage of a below-par Galopn Des Champs in this race, and there is no doubt that he will be bang there again.

He will be without his regular rider, J.J Slevin, and no one else has ever won on him, which is a slight negative.

Given his record around Punchestown, he should be the favourite and is more than likely to be the most forward of the three at the top of the market.

But he has only a little over one lead advantage on Galopin Des Champs, who was ridden cold last year.

He is the most obvious winner, but he may have to settle for second-best today.

✅ Won his last three Grade 1s at Punchestown
✅ Will likely be ready to go first time out

❌ Doesn’t hold much over Galopin Des Champs
❌ J J Slevin doesn’t ride

Star rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🐎 Bet on Fastorslow with BetMGM 🐎

🏇 4 Galopin Des Champs

• Age: 8
• Weight: 11st 12lb
• Form: 31112
• Rating: 179
• Jockey: Paul Townend
• Trainer: Willie Mullins
• Odds: 4/1

The two-time Gold Cup here and a combined nine-time grade one winner over hurdles and fences, it’s safe to say that Galopin Des Champs will go down as one of the greatest of all time.

He was turned over in this last season as a 1/2 favourite, but he put in a lacklustre display when held up off the pace, which saw him put in a poor round of jumping.

Although it was a poor performance by his lofty standards, he was still only beaten just over one length.

From there on out, Willie Mullins reverted back to Galopin Des Champs’s prominent style, which saw him dominate his division until the Punchestown Festival. He seemed to be feeling another hard time, and he was behind Fastorslow.

There have been whispers that Galopin Des Champs had a slight setback, but if he is forward enough to do himself justice at the start of the season and utilizes his prominent tactics, his current price of 4/1 is massive.

People say this is not his trip, but he won the 2022 running of this by 13 lengths and was running in and around this trip as a novice chaser.

He is the class horse in the race and possibly the best chaser we have seen since the days of Kauto Star, and at 4/1, you cannot let him run at that price.

✅ Two-time Gold Cup winner
✅ Won this in 2022
✅ The best horse in the race

❌ Has had a setback
❌ Bet at short odds last season in this race

Star rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🐎 Bet on Galopin Des Champs with Spreadex 🐎

🏇 9 Spillane’s Tower

• Age: 6
• Weight: 11st 12lb
• Form: 11211-
• Rating: 155
• Jockey: Jack Kennedy
• Trainer: James Joseph Mangan
• Odds: 6/1

Spillane’s Tower form ties in with Fact To File on their meeting with Monty’s Star.

All be it that Fact To File best Monty’s Star by three more lengths, this son of Walk In The Park has only scratched the surface of what he may be capable of.

At the start of the season, they kept him at two miles in more to get him used to jumping at speed, but the further up in trip he was going to go, the better he would become. And that came to fruition in Grade 1s at Fairyhouse and Punchestown.

This may be a slight shock to his system, but he is a young and exciting horse for the season ahead.

✅ Has been trained beautifully last season without having a hard race
✅ Two time Grade 1 novice chaser
✅ Massive amount of potential

❌ First run in open company

Star rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

🐎 Bet on Spillane’s Tower with VBET 🐎

🏇 5 Grangclare West

• Age: 8
• Weight: 11st 12lb
• Form: 61/11-
• Rating: 159
• Jockey: Danny Mullins
• Trainer: Willie Mullins
• Odds: 10/1

For an eight-year-old, Grangeclare West has only run seven times under rules.

Although injuries have blighted his career, he has put in some breathtaking performances when he made it to the track.

In his two and only chase starts last season, he easily beat the now 155-rated Heart Wood. He followed that up by taking a field apart that included the now Cheltenham Festival winner Corbetts Cross, two-time Stayers Hurdle winner Flooring Porter, who since has gone on to win the Kerry National by an eased down four lengths.

Grengeclear West is the true dark horse in the race, and with his perfect win record the first time out each season, he could be the one to get in between the top three and cause an upset.

You cannot rule out a massive run from Grangeclare West.

✅ Has never been beaten first time out
✅ Massively talented
✅ Two dominated displays over fences

❌ Injury prone
❌ First run in open company

Star rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🐎 Bet on Grangclare West with Betfred 🐎

🏇 6 Inothewayurthinkin

• Age: 6
• Weight: 11st 12lb
• Form: 23911
• Rating: 158
• Jockey: Keith Donoghue
• Trainer: Gavin Cromwell
• Odds: 12/1

To say that Inothewayurthinkin was a handicap plot job for the ages at the Cheltenham Festival would be an understatement.

He hacked up at the Cheltenham Festival in the Kim Muir and followed that up with a Grade 1 win at the Aintree Festival, beating Iroko, Heart Wood and Chianti Classico.

This trip will be short today, but he will come on leaps and bounds for it no matter what he does.

He is a big, unfurnished chaser with a big future ahead of him, but today is unlikely to be his day.

✅ An exciting staying chaser
✅ We have yet to see what he is fully capable of

❌ The trip will be too short

Star rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

🐎 Bet on Inothewayurthinkin with Betano 🐎

🏇 7 Journey With Me

• Age: 8
• Weight: 11st 12lb
• Form: F/317-
• Rating: 158
• Jockey: Darragh O’Keeffe
• Trainer: Henry de Bromhead
• Odds: 33/1

Journey With Me has never lived up to his potential, but he did show glimpses of it last season when winning a Grade 2 at Fairyhouse by nine lengths from the John Durkan second, Appreciate It.

He is one that may be primed to go for this, and with Henry de Bromhead string in flying form, he could outrun his odds.

Journey With Me is not without an each-way chance.

✅ Has it in him to run a big race
✅ His trainer is in top form

❌ Need to bring his form to a new level

Star rating: ⭐️⭐️

🐎 Bet on Journey With Me with bet365 🐎

🏇 1 Blue Lord

• Age: 9
• Weight: 11st 12lb
• Form: 283/4-
• Rating: 160
• Jockey: Sean O’Keeffe
• Trainer: Willie Mullins
• Odds: 50/1

Blue Lord placed fourth in last season’s John Durkan Race and has not been seen since.

He possesses a lot of talent, but backing him today in what looks like a much deeper race than last season would require a massive leap of faith.

✅ Fourth in last season’s running

❌ Hasn’t been seen since

Star rating: ⭐️⭐️

🐎 Bet on Blue Lord with Sky Bet 🐎

🏇 Minella Coconner

• Age: 8
• Weight: 11st 12lb
• Form: 13631-
• Rating: 158
• Jockey: Danny Mullins
• Trainer: Willie Mullins
• Odds: 50/1

Although Minella Coconner is a top chaser in his own right, but given his explorations in the Irish National and his win in the bet365 Chase at Sandown at the end of the season, this will be the first step towards the Aintree Grand National.

This race should be a pipe opener for Minella Coconner before plotting his way to Aintree.

✅ Has turned into a top-level handicapper

❌ Will need this run
❌ His plans lie elsewhere

Star rating: ⭐️

🐎 Bet on Minella Coconner with SBK 🐎

John Durkan Chase verdict

This year’s running has to be up there with the best John Durkan Chases every run, if not the best.

You have Grade 1 winners galore, but no matter how many times I go through this race, GALOPIN DES CHAMPS stands out at the prices.

The two-time Gold Cup winner is a racing superstar, and if he is ridden more prominently today, he can claim his second John Durkan success.

Grandclare West is a dark horse lurking and could put up a strong showing, but the main danger will come from Fastorslow.

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