It might have attracted just five runners but last Saturday’s Red Mills Chase was easily the race of the week in Ireland and it was dominated by two horses who will shortly head to Cheltenham with every chance of recording a coveted success on jump racing’s greatest stage.

While Coney Island’s Gold Cup claims were dealt a major blow at Ascot later in the afternoon, the Jessica Harrington-trained Our Duke certainly advanced his prospects with a fine victory. The very tacky ground at Gowran wouldn’t have been ideal and he also had to concede seven pounds to Presenting Percy while the two and a half miles trip was also short of his best which all points to the merit of this performance.

Our Duke did clout the fourth last fence and he will have to avoid taking such liberties in the white hot competition of a Gold Cup but it was then very pleasing to see him jump each of the last three fences impeccably when he was being pressed by Presenting Percy.

Although the first half of his season was a write off Our Duke looks to be coming to the boil at the ideal time. There is every reason to believe that a clean round of jumping will see him mount a bold bid for Gold Cup glory.

Although Presenting Percy met with defeat he once again showed that he will be the horse to beat in the RSA Chase. His path to Cheltenham has been somewhat unorthodox but the form he has shown on his last three starts mark him out as a novice of real quality and expect the canny Pat Kelly to produce him in the form of his life for next month’s assignment.

ELLIOTT FOUR TIMER

There weren’t too many Cheltenham clues on offer at Navan on Sunday but the card did yield a four timer for Gordon Elliott whose push for the trainer’s championship has been bolstered by a couple of big pay days in recent weeks.

A Grade 2 double for the trainer was completed by Monbeg Notorious who was following up his Thyestes Chase triumph and it is far from impossible that this gelding, who really looks to have turned a corner, could play a part in next month’s Irish Grand National.

The brightest prospect on show at Navan was probably the Elliott-trained bumper winner Master Of Tara. He looked very green and raw but there was a touch of class about his effort and he should make up into a classy novice hurdler next winter. This looked a reasonable bumper beforehand and it is testament to both the winner and the second, All For Glory, that their battle for victory carried them some 31 lengths clear of the others.

The demand for quality young Irish point-to-pointers shows absolutely no signs of relenting on the evidence of last week’s Tattersalls Ireland sale at Cheltenham which posted an average of £105,261 and a median of £65,000.

Joseph O’Brien paid a sale topping £410,000 for Dlauro who was an impressive winner on his debut at Belharbour earlier in the month. The four-year-old son of Lauro was sold by Donnchadh Doyle’s prolific Monbeg Stables outfit.

This price was closely matched by agent Tom Malone when he forked out £400,000 for Envoi Allen who looked a top notch prospect when scoring at Ballinaboola lately.

The son of Muhtathir was sold by Colin Bowe whose recent graduates includes this season’s star novice hurdler Samcro. This gelding will also return to Ireland as it emerged that Gordon Elliott will train him for Cheveley Park Stud owners David and Patricia Thompson.