IT was some training performance by John Kiely, to transform Carlingford Lough from Lexus Chase also-ran, sixth of six, beaten 34 lengths by Don Poli, to Irish Gold Cup winner.

The Lexus Chase and the Irish Gold Cup are similar contests, both run, as they are, over three miles at Leopardstown, usually on soft ground.

There was no material difference between the two contests this year, nothing to which you could point and say, that was the thing that made the difference. In that instance, you have to put it down to the trainer.

It was a fine ride by Mark Walsh too, a ride that had coaxing and cajoling, determination and perseverance, that transformed his horse from a 999/1 shot to a 12-length winner, a ride of which Sir Anthony himself would have been proud.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup may not be the thing for Carlingford Lough, mind you. The King’s Theatre gelding has run at Cheltenham twice, he finished sixth in the 2014 RSA Chase and he finished ninth in the 2015 Gold Cup. Cheltenham just may not be his track.

As well as that, he is 10 now, and you have to go back to 1998 to Cool Dawn to find the last horse aged 10 or more to win the Gold Cup.

J.P. McManus’ horse could be a Grand National horse though. A flat, galloping, left-handed four miles on spring good to soft ground should suit him well.

His new rating of 163 is 2lb lower than the official rating that Many Clouds had when the National weights were framed last year, and Many Clouds was allowed race at Aintree off a mark of 160, so 5lb lower than his official mark. Using the same barometer, Carlingford Lough should be allowed into the National on a mark of 158 or 159, which would be 2lb or 1lb lower than the mark off which Many Clouds won it last year.

Carlingford Lough could also be a Punchestown Gold Cup horse. He was pulled up in the big novices’ handicap chase at the 2013 Punchestown Festival on his first run there, but that was on desperately heavy ground.

On his second and only other run at Punchestown, at the 2014 festival, he won the Punchestown Gold Cup, beating Ballycasey and Morning Assembly and Don Cossack.