Gutsy Allaho 'not at his best' but makes all to land gruelling John Durkan

Punchestown: Sunday

It wasn’t especially pretty and it was a race that arguably raised as many questions as it provided answers, but Allaho found enough when the gloves came off to eventually grind out a doughty triumph in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase.

He never jumped with the fluency or exuberance that he did when obliterating his Ryanair Chase rivals in March, and when Patrick Mullins asked his mount for a big one as they bore down on the second-last with Janidil looming up, the response seemed ominous. Allaho put down and bulldozed his way through the fence.

It looked like the game was up, and by then Asterion Forlonge had already departed when travelling smoothly three out. Maybe the error spurred Allaho into life.

From there, the Cheveley Park Stud-owned seven-year-old, who had jumped noticeably left at times, found plenty for pressure to get back on an even keel, with Mullins letting him pop the last before finally dispensing with Janidil to pass the post two lengths clear.

Melon emerged from the pack to take third to complete a 1-2-3 for Willie Mullins on a day the dormant Closutton behemoth began to emerge from his autumn slumber. After Kilcruit got turned over at odds of 1-14 at Cork, there was a hint of Mullins falling clumsily out of bed rather than bounding out of it bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, full of the joys of winter.

Once he shook himself down, though, it was clear he was ready to take on the world.

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Less sprightly was Envoi Allen, whose tame submission in sixth in Cheveley Park’s first colours under Rachael Blackmore reinforced the suspicion that he isn’t the second coming he appeared to be in his youth. Fakir D’Oudairies also failed to land a blow in finishing fourth.

In that sense, you might muse that this €80,000 contest fell apart a little. However, the runner-up is a Grade 1-winning novice with a rating of 157, and the third is a dual Champion Hurdle runner-up who has been second in four Cheltenham Festival Grade 1s.

They are no slouches, and the winning rider was happy to settle for winning a little ugly.

Patrick Mullins celebrates on Allaho after a tough running of the John DurkanCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

It was the perennial champion amateur rider’s second successive victory in the race, and his 20th at the highest level, following a 2020 success in the fog on Min. On his 32nd birthday, having endured the disappointment of Chacun Pour Soi’s Tingle Creek flop a day earlier, it was a hard-earned gift he was glad to accept.

“It’s great,” Mullins said. “Min did it last year and I couldn’t watch it back, and I’m not sure I want to watch this one back. It was hard work. He never really carried me forward. He was going left everywhere and never really had a cut at his fences.

2.00 Punchestown: full result and replay

“To be honest, I think Asterion Forlonge had the best of me, and I could see the shadow of Janidil coming down to the second-last. I needed a good jump, but I just didn’t feel like really asking for it so I let him get from A to B and, for luck, it was enough. He was very tough, but I think he is much better than the bare form there.”

Mullins was allowed to dictate at will early on, as Fakir D’Oudairies and Envoi Allen, who was sent off the 7-4 favourite, followed.

After they circumvented the three fences down the back that were missed out because of low-lying sun, Asterion Forlonge was the one who looked to be Allaho's main threat under Bryan Cooper. He then made one of his characteristically dramatic blunders and deposited his rider onto the turf.

While that left Allaho clear, the 7-2 shot initially failed to capitalise on the situation. Janidil emerged to lay down what proved to be a brief challenge, as that blunder two out finally jolted Allaho into action.

“I think he was a bit lonely in front – no-one was really taking him on,” reflected Mullins, who was hit with a three-day ban for his use of the whip. “At Cheltenham and here in the spring he had Min and Chacun Pour Soi with him to keep him concentrated. He just wasn’t at his best, and he won despite that.”

Allaho leaps ahead of his rivals on his way to victory in the John DurkaCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Allaho's win was an eighth John Durkan for Willie Mullins, the victory taking him past Jim Dreaper to become the race’s most successful trainer.

“I wasn’t confident at all,” the trainer admitted of Allaho. "He was taking on horses with runs under their belts and that can be very tough.

"He was very brave and it's fantastic to win a Grade 1 at this part of the season. I'm just hoping it doesn't take too much out of him for the rest of the season – he had a very, very hard race."

Mullins wouldn’t be drawn on future plans, but Allaho hardened into general 5-2 favouritism (from 7-2) to retain his Ryanair crown.

Envoi Allen nearly doubled in price to 10-1 for the same race and a return to three miles could now be on the agenda. Henry de Bromhead, who also saw his Grand National hero Minella Times suffer a tired fall three out when well beaten, was non-committal on where Envoi Allen might go next.

“Rachael just thought he was one-paced,” De Bromhead said. “We thought they quickened and that he didn’t. Rachael said that he just plugged away at one pace and was stuffy.”

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