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By Dylan Jenear ValueChecker
Tranquil Sea and The Nightingale Among John Durkan Chase Entries 01/12/10
Racing enthusiasts will be keen to see the cold snap ease ahead of the weekend, as the John Durkan Memorial Chase planned for Punchestown on Sunday is shaping up to be a cracking contest.
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Generally at the head of the ante-post market for the Grade 1 contest is Tranquil Sea, who made a winning reappearance in the Clonmel Oil Chase on November 11, proving two lengths too strong for Let Yourself Go, but appearing to score with more in hand than the margin of victory suggests.
Eddie O’Grady’s charge, winner of last season’s BetVictor Gold Cup at Cheltenham, is only eight years of age, so may well have more to offer this season, and he looks poised to develop into a genuine top-flight performer, with races such as the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival likely to be on the agenda.
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This race could also see Captain Cee Bee bid to enhance his reputation. The nine-year-old, who beat Binocular in the 2008 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, wound up his first season over fences by landing a Grade 1 at the Punchestown Festival in April, and looked pretty good on his reappearance in a Grade 3 at Naas where he readily beat Archie Boy by four lengths.
This strong-traveller has yet to tackle this 2½m trip, but there’s no real reason to suspect that he will not prove as effective as he is over the minimum trip. He’s had just six starts over the larger obstacles to date, so is another that we probably haven’t seen the best of in this sphere.
Additional gloss will coat this race if the classy Cooldine makes his reappearance. The Willie Mullins-trained gelding, facile winner of the RSA Chase at the 2009 Cheltenham Festival, is generally campaigned over further trip-wise, but he proved that he possesses the requisite pace for this sort of distance when landing the 2m 5f Dr. P.J. Moriarty Novice Chase at Leopardstown as a novice.
The son of Beneficial ended his 2009/10 campaign by finishing a creditable third to Planet Of Sound in the Guinness Gold Cup at the Festival here in April, and he can go well fresh, so will be a danger to all if allowed to take his chance.
Another top-notch performer that could step back in trip in this race is The Listener. Winner of this race in 2007 and runner-up to Noland in the 2008 renewal, the grey was sidelined after running away with the JNWine.com Champion Chase at Down Royal last November, and has been absent since, but he’s another that can go well on the back of a break, so will take some pegging back on Sunday.
Others that could take their chance include Glencove Marina and J’y Vole – all in all it has the makings of a fascinating contest. It’s a tough race to call from a betting perspective, but I am inclined to side with Tranquil Sea, who rates a sound bet at a best-priced 9-2 with Stan James at the time of writing.
Recommendation: Tranquil Sea
