Fastorslow on course for Sunday's Durkan Chase Fastorslow is on course for his eagerly awaited reappearance run in Sunday’s John Durkan Chase at Punchestown, where the nine-year-old bids to recommence a top-class chasing career. Runner-up to subsequent Grand National winner Corack Rambler in the Cheltenham festival’s Ultima Chase in 2023, the Martin Brassil-trained gelding went on to defeat dual Gold Cup-winner Galopin Des Champs to win two Puchestown Gold Cups. Winner of the 2023 John Durkan Chase, Fastorslow’s latest race came when finishing fourth in last year’s renewal of Sunday’s race and he has been absent since, having incurred a soft tissue injury on the day. With sights now set for Sunday, his regular rider J.J. Slevin reports “Fastorslow has a massive amount of ability and I don’t think people realise how easy he won some of those top-class races when, on an occasion or two, I didn’t even have to go to the bottom of the well. When he is really on his A game, he is a very, very good horse. “He is a very nimble horse, has a great brain for it and he only had one blemish (when unseating rider at Cheltenham in 2024) but that wasn’t his fault. It was nice to get a school on him again recently, to get a feel for what he can do, and it sure made getting out of bed easier! “It is great to have a horse like this to look forward to and hopefully we’ll get a good run at the season now.” Fastorslow is currently 5/1 third-favourite behind Fact To File and Gaelic Warrior, for Sunday’s Grade 1 race. Quotes from Dave Keena
