IT seems reasonable to think that this year’s winner of the Unibet-sponsored Irish Gold Cup, Edwulf, will not rival the likes of Carvill’s Hill, Jodami, Beef Or Salmon and Florida Pearl among the race’s greatest winners, but he is its most surprising one to date, and not just in terms of his 33/1 starting price.

He was, of course, the horse who broke down badly at Cheltenham last year, and it seemed a miracle that he was even back in action over the Christmas period. Another pulled-up there was not the most obvious harbinger of success at the highest level on Sunday, but Edwulf is a battler, and he capitalised as others fell by the wayside. Immense credit must go to trainer Joseph O’Brien.

The time of the Irish Gold Cup does suggest that the result was not the absolute fluke some may imagine it to be.

I have Edwulf and neck runner-up Outlander both running 161 timefigures, and the closing sectionals confirm that it was a well-run race, with a finishing speed of 103.6% of average race speed.

Edwulf needs to find another 10 lengths or so to win an average Cheltenham Gold Cup, but stranger things have happened, including in the recent life of the horse himself.

Of course, Edwulf might well not have won had Killultagh Vic stood up when leading narrowly at the last, having travelled well before that. Killultagh Vic has had his share of travails, also, but he has long been talented, and the 162 timefigure he has been credited with here represents a personal best.

In the meantime, another comprehensive defeat by Djakadam has persuaded me to pull down December’s John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase (in which he finished second) by a few pounds: Sizing John, winner of that race, is now on 167.

The other two chases on Sunday were both at 21 furlongs and make for an interesting comparison.

Monalee was 2.6s slower in winning the Flogas Novice Chase than Last Goodbye was in winning the Leopardstown Handicap Chase, but that is quite a healthy differential when one considers that the former carried 17lbs more than the latter, a seasoned and useful handicapper.

Neither race was run at a flat-out gallop, as finishing speeds of 106.4% and 104.0% show, but timefigures of 150 on Monalee and 145 on Last Goodbye are more than respectable.

Monalee is a joy to behold in jumping terms, and it could be that he will make up into the real deal over larger obstacles. But, with less than two lengths covering the first four and less than eight lengths covering the first seven, it is impossible to rate this particular form as top-notch.

The first four – with timefigures ranging from 150 to 148 – are still a little behind Presenting Percy (153) and Fountains Windfall (152) among leading contenders for the RSA Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.