The long road: Davy Russell will be counting on the staying abilities of Money Trix in the Gold Cup

THERE are four Grade One races up for decision at Leopardstown this afternoon, the feature event being the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup which, with the exception of the winner What A Friend, has attracted most of the horses who ran in the Lexus Chase at the Christmas meeting here.

Money Trix is the sole English raider and the Gordon Richards-trained grey looks tailor made for the honours, judging by his performance in filling the runner-up spot behind What A Friend in the Lexus Chase run over today's course and distance.

The 10-year-old, who will be ridden by Davy Russell on this occasion, is a real stayer and he was closing on What A Friend all the way to the line, eventually finishing half a length adrift at the finish.

Joncol, the early ante-post Hennessy favourite, finished a further length and a quarter away in third place but is expected to be ridden with more restraint this time to give him every chance of seeing out the three mile trip.

Then there is the Jim Dreaper-trained Notre Pere, winner of last season's Welsh National, who was 14 lengths back in fourth. The heavy ground and distance of today's race will be very much in his favour but he needs to step up on the form he has shown this year to have a chance of improving on his second placing behind Neptune Collonges in last year's race.

Meanwhile, the Willie Mullins-trained Cooldine ran no sort of a race in the Lexus on his seasonal debut and was pulled up. He was later found to be suffering from an infection but, judging by the strong support for last year's RSA Chase winner in recent days, Cooldine's supporters are expecting to see the eight-year-old show a return to his best form.

In Compliance was another horse who was pulled up in the Lexus Chase and it is hard to fancy his chances or those of Schindlers Hunt.