GOING GREEN
IRELAND’S BEST READY TO BATTLE IT OUT FOR GOLD CUP GLORY
THE Irish appear to hold all the aces as they bid to land the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup for a fourth straight season.
Last year Irish trainers won all four of the Festival’s championship contests with Henry De Bromhead claiming the big three with Honeysuckle (Champion Hurdle), Put The Kettle On (Champion Chase) and Minella Indo (Gold Cup) – and Flooring Porter landing the Stayers’ Hurdle.
And those from the Emerald Isle may do something similar this time, having already seen Honeysuckle and Flooring Porter reclaim their crowns this week and Willie Mullins landing a first success in the Champion Chase with Energumene on Wednesday.
All the favourites for today’s Gold Cup are Irish-trained.
De Bromhead sends defending champ Minella Indo, as well as last year’s runner-up A Plus Tard for more. While dual winner Al Boum Photo heads three from the Mullins’ stable, and Gordon Elliott’s Savills Chase hero Galvin is also among a typically strong Irish hand in National Hunt racing’s blue riband.
Minella Indo, A Plus Tard and Galvin are all previous Cheltenham Festival winners and could fight out the finish.
De Bromhead said: “I was obviously getting very excited last year. I was concerned that my two had gone on and they were going to get picked up by Paul Townend (on Al Boum Photo) at that stage, but they stuck it out really well and it was incredible.
“They’re both in great form. A Plus Tard worked really well the other day and Indo had a great run in the Irish Gold Cup, so they’re both really good.
“Indo’s first run was really good on a sharp track and then when we went to Kempton I was trying to put a square peg into a round hole and that just didn’t work, so it was great to see him back in the Irish Gold Cup and I thought that was a really good run.
“A Plus Tard was really impressive in the Betfair Chase at Haydock and he ran well in the Savills. I was a little disappointed to get beaten but still felt he ran really well.
“I’d say you could argue the Savills is the best form, when he was beaten by Galvin, so I couldn’t really say. I thought he was really impressive at Haydock and I thought he ran really well at Leopardstown.”
The shortest-priced Britishtrained horse is Dan Skelton’s Protektorat, who landed a runaway success in the Grade Two Many Clouds Chase at Aintree in December. While Nicky Henderson’s Chantry House won Grade One Novices’ at both Cheltenham and Aintree last year and also took the Cotswold Chase on Festival Trials Day in January.