Bravemansgame's hope of reversing the Cheltenham form is not a forlorn one - Punchestown looks tailor-made for him

The Punchestown Gold Cup offers Galopin Des Champs the opportunity to crown a stunning season in which he has ruled the staying division on both sides of the Irish Sea with an iron grip. He was utterly dominant in the John Durkan, quashed any stamina doubts when he thundered up the straight in the Irish Gold Cup and was magnificent in the ultimate test at the Cheltenham Festival.

With a victory here, he would emulate Sizing John by landing a Gold Cup treble at Leopardstown, Cheltenham and Punchestown, while securing Willie Mullins his seventh success in the race. We have grown accustomed to Gold Cup performances taking their toll on horses, but he is particularly lightly raced for a three-mile chaser and looks to have matured significantly in the last 12 months, making him increasingly tractable and a more measured jumper.

That mental development bodes well for his longevity and his supremacy shows no signs of abating, especially considering he was the youngest horse in the Cheltenham Gold Cup line-up at seven years old.