Lough heads eight in Irish Gold Cup

The hat-trick seeking Carlingford Lough heads a field of eight runners for the Stan James Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown on Sunday. John Kiely's stable star is bidding to become the third horse to win this race on three successive occasions after Jodami (1993-1995) and Florida Pearl (1999-2001).

Gordon Elliott is double-handed as he chases his first win in the €150,000 feature event and will be represented by the much-improved Empire Of Dirt who is stepping up in class after his clear-cut success in the Troytown Handicap Chase at Navan in November. Don Poli bounced back to form when chasing home Outlander in the Grade 1 Lexus Chase at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival and also carries the hopes of the season's leading trainer.

Also with two runners is Jonjo O'Neill who had declared Minella Rocco and More Of That as he bids to become the first British-based trainer to win the race since Paul Nicholls' Neptune Collonges, ridden by Ruby Walsh, triumphed in 2009.

Road To Riches finished runner-up to Carlingford Lough in this race last year and he flies the flag for Noel Meade while Jessica Harrington runs Sizing John who is trying this trip for the first time. Completing the line-up is the Andy Lynch-trained Zabana, the mount of Davy Russell.

The first of four Grade 1 races on Sunday is the €80,000 Spring Juvenile Hurdle and it has attracted a field of nine horses. Willie Mullins, who was responsible for the first three horses home in this race last year and the first two in 2015, has left in his impressive course and distance winners Bapaume and Meri Devie. Joseph O'Brien also runs two horses, Housesofparliament and Sword Fighter and another double-handed is Gordon

Elliott who has declared Mega Fortune and Dinaria Des Obeaux.

Mullins is responsible for six of the 10 runners in the Grade 1 Deloitte Novice Hurdle. Among his team is Saturnas who landed the Grade 1 Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival. The pick of the opposition to the champion trainer could be Barra, so impressive in winning her maiden hurdle at Fairyhouse for Gordon Elliott last month.

Our Duke, trained by Jessica Harrington, successful in the Grade 1 Neville Hotels Novice Chase at Leopardstown at Christmas, heads the field for the Grade 1 Flogas Novice Chase. Unbeaten in two starts over fences, the exciting seven-year-old takes on five rivals including the Willie Mullins-trained Bellshill who is also unbeaten in two starts over fences, A Toi Phil, Gordon Elliott's sole representative and Henry de Bromhead's Balko Des Flos.

The outstanding On The Fringe completed a magnificent treble at the Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown festivals for the second successive year in 2016 and he will face a maximum of nine rivals in the Leopardstown Inn Hunters Chase. Salsify, third in this race 12 months ago and Foxrock, a winner at Down Royal on St Stephen's Day and again at Thurles in January, look the pick of the opposition.