The Punchestown Festival takes place next week and Carlow champion trainer Willie Mullins is backing the eight-year old on the 3 mile trip.
The Carlow trained horse is the champion over two and a half miles having won the last two renewals of the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham in dazzling fashion.
However, with no option over the two and a half at Punchestown, Mullins had to choose between taking on his own Chacun Pour Soi and Energumene over two miles or going for Gold over three.
“I’d love to go back over 2 miles with him. He’s got that sort of ability. The way the race is setting up this year, I think we’ll go for the 3 mile with him.
“Yeah, he’s very good over that trip. I think he could stay the three miles of the Punchestown race”.
“If Energumene or Chacun Pour Soi weren’t in the two-mile race (in which he was second to Chacun Pour Soi last year), I’d love to go back some day over two miles with him. He has that sort of ability.
“The way that the race is setting up this year, I think we’ll go for the three-mile with him. I imagine Henry de Bromhead might have a say in that race too! He’s got the top staying chasers around as well.”
The Kilkenny man broke his own record of winners last year with a total of 19 Mullins’ trained horses romping home beating his previous best haul of 18 three years ago.
