Last Updated; 16/02/2009

Neptune Collonges dominated the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown to provide Ruby Walsh with his first victory in the prestigious Irish race.

He will now join Denman and Kauto Star in trainer Paul Nicholls' attempt at repeating his one-two-three in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.

Despite his bright grey colour, Neptune Collonges does not enjoy as high a public profile as his stablemates in Britain but is familiar to Irish racegoers and he was collecting a third Grade One win in the country following two Punchestown Gold Cups.

While talk of Cheltenham served to whet the appetite, this was a prize not to be sniffed at even if it was not the strongest of renewals on paper.

Neptune Collonges' only previous start this season had been at the Dublin course over Christmas when he fell at the penultimate fence of the Lexus Chase.

There were to be no such mistakes this time around and he tracked his fellow West Country raider and last year's hero The Listener.

The two greys, both fitted with nosebands and carrying yellow colours, looked pretty similar from afar but there was only one likely to win as Neptune Collonges seized the lead at the third-last.

Having negotiated the next obstacle without any trouble, the only problem came from the stubborn Welsh National winner Notre Pere.

His jockey had been pushing him along some way from home but he never quite looked like eating into the 8-13 favourite's advantage and was held by five lengths.

'We've done a lot of work with him since last time as he got very lazy,' said Nicholls.

'It's come together well and he will improve for the run so we're very happy with him. I'm really looking forward to the Gold Cup now.

'It took the horse a week to regain his confidence after his fall here the last day.

'He took a good old blow today, he has been giving the young horses a lead over the baby hurdles to get his confidence back.

'That's the best he's jumped for a while and we put a sheepskin noseband on him to help him concentrate.

'If we got this ground in Cheltenham it would be ideal. We will probably go to Punchestown after Cheltenham.' - This ground being Soft-Heavy in places.

Neptune's odds for the Gold Cup shortened after yesterday's victory, with 7/1 from Betfair being the best odds you will get. Kauto is 2/1 with Bet365, and Denman 5/1 with Totesport.

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