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SUPER SUNDAY

Road To Respect and Our Duke on collision course after Irish Gold Cup entries revealed

Entries were released today for the two-day Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown next month, with a scintillating Irish Gold Cup set to feature on the Sunday.

Road To Respect

CHRISTMAS CHASE winner Road To Respect and last year's exciting Irish Grand National winner Our Duke are set to clash in the Irish Gold Cup.

Noel Meade's Leopardstown hero is one of 22 entries for the Irish Gold Cup, a list which does not feature last year's winner and defending Cheltenham Gold Cup champion Sizing John.

Jessica Harrington instead relies on Our Duke, who himself is on a retrieval mission after his reappearance in the JNWine.com Champion Chase at Down Royal in November, when it was later discovered he was suffering from a back problem.

Road To Respect
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Flanagan celebrates his victory on Road To Respect at LeopardstownCredit: Sportsfile

Meade, whose seven-year-old worked at the Dublin track on Tuesday morning, said: "He looks like he's been improving all the time.

"I think at the moment it's the plan. Eddie (O'Leary, of Gigginstown House Stud) said to us to keep moving in that direction and we'll see how we are going.

"One worry would be if the ground is very heavy. He does seem to be a little bit better on better ground, although he has run well on heavy, too.

"He won a two-five in Cheltenham very easily. Yorkhill was going to beat him in Fairyhouse if he stayed straight, but in fairness to the horse, he took advantage of Yorkhill's mistakes and he's never really looked back since then.

"He's inclined to jump a bit left left himself. I think in the north (Down Royal), when Outlander beat him, that's what really beat him and he ran a little bit keen early on that day.

"At all stages of that race he looked like he was going to win and it was a bit gut-wrenching that he didn't win, but that's racing.

"He's not a horse we do an awful lot of work with. Today is the first time he's gone a bit quicker since he ran at Christmas."

Harrington said of her Irish Grand National winner: "He seems to be in good form. We had to do a bit of an operation on him after Down Royal and he seems to have recovered from that.

"He schooled around Punchestown a couple of weeks ago and he's going to have another schooling session this week somewhere.

Our Duke
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Our Duke was found to have a back problem after his last runCredit: PA

"He does run well fresh. If I have him back in the same form as he was for the Irish National last year, I think he'll run a big race.

"He's a definite runner at the moment, but we've another two weeks or more to go so nothing is set in stone."

Down Royal victor Outlander is set to reoppose the big two.

Davy Condon, assistant to trainer Gordon Elliott, said: "He'll take his chance. He likes Leopardstown and is a Grade One winner around here."

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"You have to get him on a going day, but it looks like a fairly open contest and they are all within a few pounds of each other.

"If you get him on a going day, he'll be bang there."

Anibale Fly, Coney Island, Killultagh Vic and Djakadam are also entered in the highlight on day two of the Dublin Racing Festival, as are potential British raiders Minella Rocco and Definitly Red.

Elsewhere on the second day of the inaugural Dublin Racing Festival, the Deloitte Novice Hurdle has attracted a bumper 25 entries, many supplied by Willie Mullins and Elliott.

Rich Ricci, Willie Mullins
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Willie Mullins (right) has plenty of entries at the Dublin Racing FestivalCredit: PA

Mullins has the likes of Whiskey Sour, who was a surprise winner of a dramatic Grade One at the track over Christmas, Sharjah, Real Steel and Getabird engaged, while Elliott can choose from Mengli Khan, Hardline and Samcro, although the latter is set to run 24 hours earlier.

Henry de Bromhead will be hoping Monalee can put in a clear round in the Flogas Novice Chase, if he runs, after falling last time out.

De Bromhead said: "He schooled this morning and jumped well. He had a horrific fall here at Christmas and then got a good kicking after that.

Shattered Love
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Shattered Love (right) and Monalee among Flogas Novice Chase entriesCredit: Sportsfile

"We were worried about him for the first few days, but it was amazing how he really seems to have come back to himself.

"We haven't really made any plans as to where we will run him as yet. He's obviously entered at Leopardstown and there are a couple of other options. We just need to make sure that we have him 100 per cent right."

Shattered LoveAl Boum Photo, Jury Duty, Koshari, Invitation Only and Sutton Place are others to consider, with 18 having the option.

Jockey tumbles over fence in shocking fall
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