Cooldine taken out of Punchestown feature

JUST SIX horses remain possible for Sunday’s Grade One John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown but they don’t include Cooldine who disappointed his trainer, Willie Mullins, in a piece of work yesterday.

Cooldine, winner of last season’s RSA Chase at Cheltenham, is as low as 8 to 1 in ante-post betting for the Gold Cup and is Ireland’s main hope of breaking Kauto Star and Denman’s dominance in March’s blue riband.

Sunday’s feature was supposed to be his first start of the term but plans are on hold after yesterday’s work-out.

“He worked disappointing so I’ve taken him out of the race. He’s fine, riding out and everything. He just didn’t work well enough to take on a John Durkan.

“The big Christmas races are there for him but we’ve just got to get him right first,” Mullins said yesterday.

In Cooldine’s place, the champion trainer looks like running his Champion Chase candidate, Barker, instead.

Barker beat Forpadydeplasterer by 15 lengths at the Punchestown Festival in April and also holds an engagement in Saturday’s Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown.

However, Mullins said: “The Durkan is definitely an option for him now and I might steer him towards Punchestown.”

J’y Vole is also a Durkan possible for the Mullins team while Noel Meade is also doubly represented by Watson Lake and Aran Concerto with the latter looking the most likely candidate.

“I will leave both of them in but at the moment my intention is to run Aran Concerto,” Meade said. “Aran Concerto is a very exciting horse and we’re looking forward to getting him started again.”

Aran Concerto hasn’t run since narrowly beating Barker in the Powers Gold Cup at Fairyhouse last season.

The only other horses entered in a relatively disappointing Durkan turn-out are Paul Nolan’s Joncol and the 2006 winner In Compliance, whose first start for almost two years yielded an impressive victory at Thurles.

In separate news, Meade also announced yesterday the retirement of his brilliant but enigmatic hurdler Harchibald.

The four-time Grade One winner will remain best known for finishing runner-up to Hardy Eustace in the 2005 Champion Hurdle after looking all over the winner a 100 yards from the line.

“He is getting on a bit and when he came back from Dundalk the other day he was feeling a little sore behind,” Meade said of the 10-year-old.

“After that we thought it best to retire him. We didn’t want to be knocking him around anymore. He was one of my favourites, always controversial but just a very good horse who gave us some great times. It’s just a pity he didn’t win that Champion Hurdle,” Meade added.

Paddy Power betting for John Durkan Memorial Chase: 2 Joncol, 11-4 Aran Concerto and Barker, 4 In Compliance, 5 J’y Vole, 8 Watson Lake.

NAAS INSPECTION: NAAS, where the ground is officially heavy, will inspect at 7.30 this morning to see if tomorrow's scheduled meeting can go ahead.