The Cheltenham Gold Cup betting has a gaping gap for a challenger to the reigning champion Al Boum Photo and Monday’s Savills Chase at Leopardstown looks like Minella Indo’s cue to fill it.
A race of a similar title at Tramore will see Al Boum Photo make his eagerly-awaited reappearance on New Year’s Day.
But on the back of what was in many ways an unsatisfactory King George result there’s going to be widespread hope about Monday’s €150,000 Leopardstown highlight throwing up a ‘statement’ performance.
A total of 14 line up including the last two winners, Delta Work and Kemboy, two of the four horses that bring higher official ratings into the race than Minella Indo.
The current Gold Cup betting, however, reflects a general sense about Minella Indo having the potential to exceed even that level of accomplishment.
Henry De Bromhead’s finest career achievement to date was when springing a 50-1 shock over hurdles at the 2019 Cheltenham festival.
This time however there’s a sense of expectation around a star performer who is already a general 8-1 second-favourite for ultimate blue riband glory in March.
It’s heady stuff for a horse with just a handful of races over fences under his belt.
Two of those came in lesser company earlier this season as De Bromhead worked to get more valuable experience into the seven-year-old carrying the colours of businessman Barry Maloney.
The experience gained when chinned by Champ on the line in the RSA last March looked to be stamped over both of those performances.
However, Monday’s race is the ultimate test of whether or not Gold Cup ambitions for Minella Indo are rooted in substance and not just potential.
A horse just out of his novice year is always going to have to find something on figures with their seniors.
Superior
However, the reality when the horses will line up at 2.25 is that Minella Indo’s stable companion, A Plus Tard, is also officially rated his superior, as is the hardy stalwart Presenting Percy.
Allaho appears to be the stable pick among a handful from Willie Mullins’s operation while Samcro, trying three miles, goes into a major contest comparatively under the radar.
Instead the focus is firmly on Minella Indo and Rachael Blackmore and a major test of the horse’s Gold Cup credentials.
Ten of the 14 declared can boast an official mark of 160 or more, presenting a depth of quality rare in any pre-Cheltenham festival contest these days.
No horse has successfully defended this race title since Beef Or Salmon all of 15 years ago but Delta Work should once again show the benefits of his first run of the season at Down Royal in October.
He did that to spectacular style last year and is top rated now on a mark of 170.
That’s the sort of level Minella Indo will have to reach in the first serious test of his senior career. How he delivers on the expectation surrounding him will be fascinating.
