HENNESSY GOLD CUP:SUNDAY'S HENNESSY Gold Cup is one of the few major prizes in Ireland to escape top owner JP McManus but Kempes is on course to try to change that statistic in the weekend's €180,000 feature.

Kempes pleased Willie Mullins in a post-race work-out at Punchestown on Sunday, after which it was confirmed the champion trainer will try to secure a seventh Hennessy success at Leopardstown with the McManus runner. He will also run Cooldine.

Unlike Mullins, who has a record six Hennessy victories to his name, the big race has proven elusive to McManus over the last 24 renewals but along with big-race jockey Tony McCoy, the former champion owner will be hoping to make number 25 a lucky one.

“He was starting to get into contention in the Lexus when he went at the second last. I don’t know if he’d have won but he could have got into the place-money,” McManus’s racing manager Frank Berry said yesterday.

“Willie is happy with him and I would imagine Tony will be over to ride.”

Joncol will attempt to become the sixth horse to win the Hennessy more than once and trainer Paul Nolan is anticipating significant improvement from the giant gelding’s Lexus third.

“We’re very happy with him at the moment and he’s looking great. He’ll have a good piece of work on Wednesday and that will be his final piece. He’ll just do normal canters then up until the Hennessy,” he said yesterday.

“We had three or four months where we had a torrid time with him as he got a bit of an infection in his leg. It seemed very trivial to start off with but you couldn’t believe the size his leg swelled up to. Hopefully that’s sorted now and we’re hoping he’ll be at a peak for the Hennessy.

“We’re going to have to improve another 20lb for him to be a Gold Cup contender, but we’re hoping that he’s improved eight to 10 lengths from the Lexus to have a good chance in the Hennessy,” Nolan added.

The final shape of the Hennessy field, and the three other Grade One races scheduled for Sunday, will look clearer after today’s forfeit stage.