Sir Des can finally lay down Gold Cup marker

Sir Des Champs can finally prove he is a realistic Cheltenham Gold Cup horse by landing the Hennessy at Leopardstown this afternoon.

In both his races this season he was beaten by Flemenstar, but there were extenuating circumstances and Willie Mullins’ seven-year-old can now reverse the placings.

At Punchestown in December Flemenstar slammed his rival by five lengths, but had a previous outing under his belt and was greatly favoured by the two and a half mile trip.