Gaelic Warrior held off a late charge from stablemate Fact To File to win a thrilling John Durkan Chase at Punchestown.
The 13-8 winner had built a huge lead at half-time under Paul Townend but was pushed to the line after a strong surge from Mark Walsh aboard favorite Fact To File (11-8).
The top two are both trained by Willie Mullins, while Sunday’s strong field also included 2025 Gold Cup winner Inothewayurthinkin, 2024 Grand National winner I Am Maximus and 2023 John Durkan winner Fastorslow.
“That was a real horse race,” winning jockey Townend told RTE Sport.
“He took a breather when he needed it and that allowed him to refuel and catch Mark.
“[He had] a good jump on the last when everything was on the line, put his head down and rallied from the back. His jumping held together, which was a big help.”
In soft to heavy conditions, Townend and Gaelic Warrior – the second favorite – put a significant amount of daylight between themselves and the rest at the halfway point, with the chasing pack having significant work to do.
However, the leader’s fast pace proved difficult to maintain and Fact To File appeared to have all the momentum after closing the gap and reaching the front for the final break.
But Gaelic Warrior dug deep to win by a neck in a thrilling run home, with Fastorslow (10-1) 29 lengths behind in third.
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