Last year saw him win the Dr. P.J. Moriarty Novice Chase in Leopardstown in February which preceded his impressive RSA Chase victory at Cheltenham the following month. In winning the RSA he was no less impressive than Denman had been in the same race two years previously, so it looks like things are looking promising for Cooldine and his team in this year’s Cheltenham Festival!

There was big disappointment for Cooldine’s return race at the end of December 2009, the Lexus Chase, where Ruby Walsh chose to ride him over What A Friend, showing the faith that there is in his abilities. Unfortunately for all concerned, he was pulled up, but there was a big change in the bay gelding for the Hennessy Gold Cup which has reignited not just his trainer Willie Mullin’s hope in him, but also the punters and the bookmakers, who have given him odds as low as 10/1 for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and it has been speculated that his form is likely to be even better than it was in February by the time of the Cheltenham Festival in mid-March.

Cooldine is currently third favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday 19th March with ante-post odds of 12/1 with Paddy Power Bookmakers.

Whether he will be a realistic threat to the Nicholl’s stable clan is yet to be seen, but he is definitely considered a worthy opponent.

There’s no doubt that there was a brave winner in Joncol, who mastered Cooldine in the dying strides, but the three mile Grade 1 race was run at a dawdle and told us little we didn’t already know about the main combatants. My first impression was to write the form off as being of little significance, and they do say in racing that you should never change your mind once you’ve made a decision.

The slow pace meant that Joncol’s suspect stamina wasn’t tested, but what we do know is that he is fit and well. However, I feel the horse is unlikely to be good enough to land the Ryanair Chase. The race was a better effort from Cooldine, but there is no way that this form comes anywhere close to that of the market principals in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. If he takes his chance in the race I think Cooldine is one to lay for a place as the likes of Imperial Commander, What A Friend, Money Trix and the dark horse Taranis are more likely to fill third spot than the Irish challenger.

I would also discount the below par effort of Nicky Richards’ Money Trix, a genuine three miler who was completely at sea at the farcical pace. Perhaps jockey Davy Russell should have taken the bull by the horns and gone out there to make the running under his own terms, but a bad blunder at the second last left him unable to join in the sprint finish.

If it comes up very soft or heavy at Cheltenham, then a bit of 66/1 each-way Money Trix could prove a shrewd investment.