Don’t expect any Cheltenham festival clues from Irish Gold Cup

For a number of years now the Irish Gold Cup has become increasingly irrelevant as a Cheltenham trial and this renewal is more notable for those that are missing, rather than those who are running, writes Pat Keane.

The first thing that struck you, when the entries for tomorrow’s Stan James Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown became available on Tuesday, was how moderate a contest it looked.

At that stage, there were ten possibilities and it took some leap of faith to envisage any of them playing a meaningful role in the Cheltenham Gold Cup next month.