Valseur Lido © Photo Healy Racing
Patrick Mullins believes Valseur Lido has earned a tilt at the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup following his final-fence exit at Leopardstown last weekend.
Ruby Walsh had barely moved a muscle aboard the seven-year-old as he moved towards the front end in the Irish Gold Cup, but made a bad mistake and gave the jockey no chance of keeping the partnership intact.
He is one of a host of potential Gold Cup challengers for leading owners Gigginstown House Stud, and also has the option of running in the shorter Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham, but champion trainer Willie Mullins' son and assistant feels the blue riband should be his target.
"He didn't fall, but he gave Ruby absolutely no chance of staying in (the saddle)," Mullins told At The Races.
"He's fine and it's all systems go for Cheltenham. To me that looked like a Gold Cup performance and we think the more the test of stamina, the better he is.
"Whether he'd have won at Leopardstown, I don't know, but he definitely deserves his place in the Gold Cup line-up, I think."
Mullins junior also provided a positive update on King George runner-up and leading Gold Cup hope Vautour
He said: "He's 100 per cent and worked this morning.
"Willie hasn't made a plan as to where he goes next yet. I don't think it's a problem to go straight there - it worked very successfully with Best Mate to go from the King George straight to the Gold Cup."
