Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Minella will get backers Indo black
PREVIOUS FALL WON’T STOP HENRY’S STAR
MINELLA INDO can land the showpiece Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown today.
It is a little disappointing that this hugely valuable prize has attracted just five runners but this is still a race high on quality.
The Henry de Bromheadtrained Minella Indo is a confident choice as he looks to bounce back from an early fall behind A Plus Tard last time.
Previously he looked a top class staying chaser in the making as he recorded smooth wins at Wexford and Navan.
In addition he ended last season with an excellent and perhaps somewhat unlucky second in the RSA Chase.
He appeals as a horse that can challenge strongly for Gold Cup honours and on this occasion he gets the vote to see off Delta Work.
The Leopardstown specialist has won three Grade 1s over this course and distance including when landing this race last year.
His jumping can let him down sometimes which was the case when he departed early on in the Savills Chase last time.
Delta Work deserves another chance though, and at a track he knows so well, he rates a bigger danger than Kemboy or Melon who filled the minor placings behind A Plus Tard at Christmas.
In the Flogas Novice Chase it is hard to look past the claims of the Willie Mullins-trained Monkfish who is bidding to make it three wins from as many starts over fences.
He impressed in his beginner’s chase win and even better was to come when he landed a Grade 1 here at Christmas.
On that occasion he defeat old rival Latest Exhibition and that rival once again warrants the utmost respect as there isn’t much between him and Monkfish.
Mullins is also expected to land the Chanelle Pharma Novice Hurdle with the exciting Appreciate It.
In the first of the day’s Grade 1s Quilixios is put forward as the answer to the Spring Juvenile Hurdle for Gordon Elliott.
Elliott could also land the Leopardstown Chase with Braeside who is still a maiden over fences.