There's 32 entries for this year's Cheltenham Gold Cup and Irish trainers are responsible for a massive 18 of them, setting a record for Irish entries by some distance. The previous record was set at 13 but that's been comfortably beaten this year with Willie Mullins along responsible for eight entries alone.
Djakadam currently leads the ante-post betting, closely followed by the Gordon Elliot trained Don Cossack. Besides the early favourite, Mullins has also entered the much fancied Vautour as well as Don Poli, Sir Des Champs, Boston Bob, Valseur Lido, Ballycasey and On His Own for the top prize in the National Hunt calendar.
Elliot takes No More Heroes and Rou Du Mee alongside Don Cossack while Noel Meade has entries for Wounded Warrior and Road to Riches. Carlingford Lough (John Kiely), Gilgamboa (Enda Bolger), First Lieutenant (Mouse Morris), Morning Assembly (Pat Fahy) and 2014 winner Lord Windermere (Jim Culloty).
As for the best of the rest, Colin Tizzard's Cue Card leads the home challenge following his win at the King George VI Chase at Kempton. Britain's champion jump trainer Paul Nicholls has three entries with Saphir Du Rheu looking like his most likely winner but from the numbers alone it looks like it's all set up for an Irish horse to take the crown once again after Coneygree became the first novice chaser to win the race for over forty years last year.
