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How Gaelic Warrior won his epic battle with Fact To File

Last Updated: Mon 24 Nov 2025

Bazball might have backfired badly for England’s humiliated cricketers over the weekend but Gaelic Warrior’s daring approach in the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown on Sunday reaped a spectacular dividend.

He had hit most of his rivals for six long before the finish, zooming along in a clear lead and flying over his fences. But even his most ardent supporters must have thought his swashbuckling attitude was going to lead to him getting caught at the finish.

When his stablemate Fact To File, defending the crown he won last year, loomed upside between the final two fences the game of taking no prisoners looked up. One had evaded capture, and in the words of commentator Jerry Hannon, Gaelic Warrior had been “gathered in”.

But the headstrong front-runner had one more unlikely powerful surge to unleash. He tenaciously stuck out his neck and prevailed by that margin.

Willie Mullins has been landing renewals of the John Durkan for the best part of a quarter of a century and from some way out it was clear that, one way or another, he would be adding to his tally.

Enjoy a full replay

But his eleventh triumph in this Gade One feature had been something out of the ordinary.

“It was a hell of a horse race and it was a pity someone had to lose. Both horse gave their all,” he said moments after his principal protagonists had finished in a different parish to a string of high-profile rivals.

The ground was officially soft to heavy, but that did not stop Gaelic Warrior winning a titanic tussle in 5min 6.5sec, which compares more than favourably with most recent editions, including those to have taken part under dryer conditions.

His Finishing Speed Percentage was a smidgeon over 101% which suggests Paul Townend got the fractions just about spot on, for all he seemed a passenger for much of the way as his partner set about devouring the 15 fences.

Townend persuaded his zestful partner a breather into him some time in the last quarter, preserving just enough for that grandstand finish.

Data provided by RaceiQ enables us to take any lingering guesswork out of what unfolded before our eyes.

How did Gaelic Warrior and Fact To File jump?

Fact To File puts in another wonderful leap. RaceiQ reveals he jumped best over the 15 fences (Healy Racing)

Both were as good as they looked.

Gaelic Warrior got a Jump Index score of 9.1 out of 10 and gained a whopping 22.77 lengths, while Fact To File got a glowing 9.5 and gained 21.57 lengths.

Fastorslow, the distant third, also jumped typically well on his belated return, getting a score of 9.1 and gaining 10.21 lengths.

The same cannot be said for several of the others. James Du Berlais (6.4) and Lecky Watson (6.7) could have been much more efficient, and I Am Maximus surrendered 17 lengths getting from A to B. That’s not unusual for him.

Gaelic Warrior attacked the first four fences in the first minute or so travelling at more than 30mph. He entered the third at almost 33mph, and was still going 30.56mph heading to the last. Given the slow surface and his attacking style, that was some achievement.

He got individual Jump Index scores of 8.3, 8.5, 9.1, 9.5, 8.3 and 8.9 for the first six fences and that enabled him to build up a crucial early advantage. He gained ground, to varying degrees, at every fence bar the 12th, where he lost 5.44mph.

His scores at the final four fences, which had earlier been the first four, were 7.2, 7.9, 7.9 and 8.2. That reflected how much effort he had put it in early on.

Fact To File’s jumping was the more consistent, almost certainly because he went a more even tempo.

He made an error at the fifth, which overall cost him a vital 1.83 lengths in his battle with the winner, but was pretty much flawless apart from that.He got a score of 7.2 for that leap but did not score lower than an 8.1 elsewhere. This is far from the first time that he has shown himself to be a superb jumper.

How the race unfolded

Part one: The first three-and-a-half furlongs

Gaelic Warrior: 15.26 sec; 15.39; 14.29; 14.53 = 59.47sec

Fact To File: 15.57 sec; 15.59; 14.62; 15.24 = 61.02sec

The pattern for the whole race was set in the first half furlong, when the first fence loomed up quickly. Gaelic Warrior was fastest, followed by Fact To File, Heart Wood and Fastorslow. This quartet would go on to finish 1-2-4-3.

Gaelic Warrior was fastest through each of the next three furlongs, too, with Fact To File second fastest. The former had already established a handy 1.55 sec advantage over his nearest pursuer by the end of the opening exchanges, which included the first three fences.

By contrast, returning Gold Cup hero Inothewayurthinkin took 63.52sec. He was slowest of all in furlongs three and four, and was already trailing Gaelic Warrior by more than 4sec. The writing was on the wall from the outset, having been friendless in the betting, and he never got competitive.

Part two: Warrior on the march

Gaelic Warrior put his stamp on the race over the first mile-and-a-half (Healy Racing)

Gaelic Warrior (from furlong 5): 15.48sec; 15.80; 16.53; 15.29 = 63.10 sec

Fact To File (from furlong 5): 15.56; 15.41; 17.40; 15.78 = 64.15

Gaelic Warrior was again fastest through furlong five but his 15.8sec for furlong six was the slowest of the whole bunch. James Du Berlais (15.16sec) was swiftest at this stage, not that it counted for much by the finish.

Normal service was resumed in furlong seven when Gaelic Warrior was again quickest, as he was in furlong eight.

By the end of a mile, with six of the 15 fences negotiated, Gaelic Warrior was 2.6sec (about a dozen lengths) ahead of Fact To File

Part three: The second half starts the same

Gaelic Warrior (from furlong 9): 13.65sec; 15.76; 16.08; 15.14 = 60.63sec

Fact To File (from furlong 9): 13.99 sec; 15.93; 16.39; 15.15 = 61.46sec

More of the same.

With his sixth furlong blip behind him, Gaelic Warrior was again quickest of the whole field in furlongs nine and ten.

He was only third fastest in furlong 11 (Heart Wood and Fastorslow had a little burst) but his lead was still growing because Fast To File was only ninth quickest.

Just for good measure, Gaelic Warrior was also quickest in furlong 12 but Fact To File recorded almost the same time here. The latter now had a 3.43sec deficit to overcome but the fightback had begun.

Part four: Fact To File begins to close the gap

Townend gives his verdict on an epic contest

Gaelic Warrior (from furlong 13): 15.71sec; 15.81; 14.57; 15.47 = 61.56sec

Fact To File (from furlong 13):: 15.36sec; 15.41; 13.86; 14.76 = 59.39sec.

Finally, Gaelic Warrior’s exertions began catching up with him. Having dominated the first 12 furlongs, he was about to be faced by the dark side.

He was only fifth fastest to complete furlongs 13 and 14, then only seventh quickest in furlong 15. Even the 2024 Grand National winner I Am Maximus, who barely budged out of rear, moved swifter than him.

It’s almost certainly at this stage that Paul Townend was getting a much-needed breather into his partner, preserving something for the final stages.

In the 16th furlong, Gaelic Warrior was again only sixth fastest. Fact To File was beginning to motor, being fastest of the field in furlongs 13, 15 and 16, plus second fastest in 14.

A 3.43sec advantage for Gaelic Warrior had shrunk to 1.26sec with three more fences still to be jumped. The tide had turned and it looked like the long-time leader would be in danger of getting washed away.

Part five: they think it's all over . . . but it isn't yet

Gaelic Warrior(from furlong 17): 16.01sec; 14.76; 15.21; 15.66 = 61.64sec

Fact To File(from furlong 17): 15.48sec; 14.61; 14.80; 15.68 = 60.57sec

Inothewayurthinkin (15.42sec) was quickest through furlong 17 but he was so far behind by now that nobody noticed. It was a hollow win for the returning .

More significant, it seemed, were the continued gains of Fact To File as he clawed back Gaelic Warrior and then eyeballed him. Second quickest in furlong 17, he was then fastest in 18 and 19.

It looked for all the world as if Mark Walsh had timed his run to perfection as the combination drew upside going to the last fence.

But then came that dramatic final twist with Gaelic Warrior pulling out extra to take the spoils.

Gaelic Warrior pulls out extra in the closing stages (Healy Racing)

After seven successive furlongs where he had not been the fastest, he took back the mantle just when he needed to – no doubt helped by the fact that Fact To File had pulled out plenty in the same period to close the gap.

Their second clash had certainly been a lot more entertaining than their first, when they met in a match at the 2024 Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown. On that occasion, Gaelic Warrior had again attempted to make all but had been a spent force when unseating his rider at the last.

Will we see them meet again? It’s unlikely to be any time soon with Mullins sure to send them in different directions over Christmas. Whatever the pair do over the coming months, they have already provided one of the highlights of the season.