Given Don Poli’s famously laidback attitude to life he probably wouldn’t care anyway if aware of the weight of expectation on him going into Monday’s €150,000 Lexus Chase. But there is definitely expectation on the headline act of Leopardstown’s Day Three festival feature.
If Michael O'Leary came into the Christmas period with ambitions to grab this season's Cheltenham Gold Cup picture by the throat the Ryanair boss has been left frustrated so far.
The what ifs surrounding Don Cossack’s penultimate fence exit in the King George on Saturday have been so great the fact the Gigginstown Stud owner’s other runner, Valseur Lido, came down at the last became almost a footnote.
Just minutes prior to the King George had come confirmation that Road To Riches would miss out on defending his Lexus title after failing to please trainer Noel Meade during the week so Don Poli goes into this race firmly centre stage – and not just for O'Leary.
Even in an apparently vintage crop of potential Gold Cup contenders in this country, Don Poli cuts his own particular profile given that even those closest to him confess to being unaware of just how much remains untapped.
Blur-riband credentials
If Djakadam and Road To Riches confirmed their blue-riband credentials by getting placed last season, and Don Cossack boats an exalted handicap rating, the fascination with Don Poli continues to lie in pondering what we possibly haven’t yet seen.
Since what he have seen already includes two Cheltenham festival victories, including an RSA, that indicates the level of expectation surrounding a six-year-old who unlike his stable companion Vautour seems to believe flamboyance is for mugs and continues to keep winning while doing the least amount of work required.
One can only guess what his owner might think of such an attitude were he on the Ryanair team rather than carrying Gigginstown’s maroon colours. But given the King George result, a Lexus victory could well put Don Poli clear at the top of the Gold Cup betting.
Given his relaxed outlook, authoritative rather than spectacular might be the most realistic hope since his latest victory at Aintree was a typical Don Poli show in that he had to be nudged and jostled along by Bryan Cooper for much of the race only to ultimately win with some authority.
Cooper also had the option of riding the 2013 Gold Cup runner up Sir Des Champs who returned to action with a win at Thurles recently and the veteran First Lieutenant who showed a glimpse of his old self in Newbury’s Hennessy. But the jockey was never going to desert the younger horse.
Gigginstown hopes will attempt to fill a glaring Grade One gap for their trainer Willie Mullins who has yet to land a Lexus under any of its various sponsorship guises. The champion trainer also has last year's runner up On His Own who like Foxrock will reportedly sport first-time blinkers.
But this Grade One looks to revolve around Don Poli. Almost by default on the back of the Christmas action so far, his stable companion Djakadam is on top of most Gold Cup betting lists right now.
If Don Poli lives up to expectations he can change that, provide his trainer with a first Lexus, and encourage further hopes the O’Leary star can potentially be the one to break Mullins’s Gold Cup duck in March.
