Elliott bidding for Cheltenham treble
Meath Sportsperson of the Year Gordon Elliott hosted a pre-Cheltenahm media day yesterday and gave updates on his leading contenders as he also bids to complete a treble.
Elliott has won The Irish Independent Leading Trainer Award at The Festival for the last two years, saddling six winners in 2017 and a record-equalling eight 12 months ago - can he make it three-in-a-row next month?
The Summerhill man's 22 wins at the Festival include Don Cossack's victory in the 2016 Bulmers Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Elliott has emerged as the chief challenger to Willie Mullins for the Jump trainers' championship in Ireland in recent seasons.
He has also enjoyed two successes in the Randox Health Grand National at Aintree, Silver Birch in 2007 and Tiger Roll last year.
Elliott has again readied an exciting team for this year's four-day Cheltenham Festival from Tuesday 12th - Friday 15th March.
Three-time Festival winner Tiger Roll won the Boyne Hurdle at Navan on Sunday and will again be fancied to strike at Prestbury Park.
Apple's Jade is set to take on dual champion hurdler Buveur D'Air in the feature on the opening day in the £450,000 G1 Unibet Champion Hurdle.
The 10-time G1 winner has enjoyed an excellent season thus far over timber, with four wins in as many starts. Those successes have included a third win in the G1 Hatton's Grace Hurdle over two and a half miles at Fairyhouse on December 2 and an impressive 16-length victory in the G1 Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown when dropped back to two miles last time out.
Successful in the 2017 in the £120,000 G1 OLBG Mares' Hurdle at The Festival, connections had initially targeted the 2019 edition of the two mile and four-furlong race, for which she still holds an entry, with seven-year-old Apple's Jade.
However, following her latest victory, Elliott and owner Gigginstown House Stud, decided to re-route the superstar mare to the two-mile hurdling championship.
"It's all systems go for the Champion Hurdle with Apple's Jade," Elliott said.
"This year, she has just gone from strength to strength and she was impressive when dropping back to two miles last time out. I hope there is more improvement to come and, if she runs to the form that she has run too so far this season, then she will have a big chance in the Champion Hurdle.
"I am not saying she is going to win, but if she turns up like she has in her last three runs, then she has a great chance.
"It was well publicised that she was in-season at Cheltenham last year (when a non-runner in the three-mile G1 Sun Racing Stayers' Hurdle) and it is something that we will keep an eye on. We knew straight away what was wrong with her and hopefully we will have a clear run with her.
"We will just keep doing what we do with Apple's Jade and we will keep checking her. The girls who look after her every day are keeping an eye on her cycle and hopefully everything will be alright with Apple's Jade.
"She will not need a whole lot of work before Cheltenham - she is pretty fit and hopefully she just stays fit between now and then.
"I think giving her another run this year has been important. I would say that is the one mistake we made with her last year that we did not give her another run before Cheltenham. She seems to be thriving on a bit of running.
"Apple's Jade does not have to lead in the Champion Hurdle.
"She was taken on for the lead in the Hatton's Grace and I would arguably say that was her best run of the season.
"It's Jack Kennedy's job to ride her and he knows what to do. Me, Eddie and Michael (O'Leary, Gigginstown House Stud) were going to go to the Mares' Hurdle with her before Leopardstown, but the manner of her victory the last day meant we thought we should give her a chance. It's the Champion Hurdle and it is the race we all want to win," he added.
Grand National victor Tiger Roll recorded an impressive 25/1 success in Sunday's Boyne Hurdle over two miles and five furlongs at
Navan and all roads now lead to Prestbury Park where he will attempt to win a fourth race at The Festival.
Discussing the yard favourite, Elliott continued: "Tiger Roll has come out of the Boyne Hurdle in very good form.
"I couldn't believe how well he won on Sunday and it surprised me.
"I thought he would finish second or third, but that was a good pipe-opener for the Cross Country Chase which remains the plan and that is where he is going. He showed how good a horse he was on Sunday.
"To win a Grand National, three races at the Cheltenham Festival and a Boyne Hurdle, highlights his talent. He is a yard favourite and it was a great performance.
"His enthusiasm for the game is unbelievable and he is one of the most versatile horses I've ever had. He might not be the best I've ever trained, but he is certainly the most likeable."
The forgotten horse in the lead-up to The Festival has been Samcro, which looked to have the world at his feet when plundering the G1 Ballymore Novices' Hurdle at last year's meeting, but has been a beaten favourite in four starts since, latterly over two miles in the G1 Ryanair Hurdle at Leopardstown in December.
Connections revealed that the seven-year-old son of Germany was found to have a lung infection following his latest run and having initially been aimed at the G1 Unibet Champion Hurdle, Elliott said that the £325,000 Sun Racing Stayers Hurdle (St Patrick's Thursday, 14th March) over three miles is now a possible target, but the trainer did warn that Samcro may miss Cheltenham and instead take in Aintree or Punchestown.
"There's nothing new to report with Samcro. Cheltenham is coming fast enough, but he has the option to go there for the Stayers' Hurdle, Aintree and Punchestown. The next 10 days are important and I cannot tell you any more than that," added Elliott
"Samcro looks good, but it is not the be all and end all. If he gets to Cheltenham, he does or he'll go to Aintree or Punchestown or we take the shoes off and we wait to go chasing next season. There is no decision made on where he is going yet.
"Samcro had a bad lung infection and it happens from time-to-time with good horses.
"It's not ideal, but it's not the end of the world. When you have horses like that who lose their form, nine times out of 10 they have a problem. We have identified it and hopefully he will return to his best form.
"He didn't do anything for a couple of weeks after his lung infection and a couple of weeks at that stage of the season is crucial for those horses - every day is very important. If he did run at Cheltenham, I would not be taking any chances with him and he would be very fit."
Elliott has a strong hand in the novice hurdling division, headed by the unbeaten Battleoverdoyen, which has impressed in three starts this term and looks set to tackle the £125,000 G1 Ballymore Novices' Hurdle (2m 5f), the opening race of Ladies Day, Wednesday, 13th March along with Galvin, which has won all five of his starts under Rules.
"Battleoverdoyen is in good form", revealed Elliott.
"I didn't run him at Leopardstown at the Dublin Racing Festival as he had three quick runs and I wanted to give him a break.
"He jumps very well and I've been pleased with his work at home - I think the Ballymore will suit him.
"He might lack a bit of experience, but timing-wise, I think we've made the right decision to give him some time off and go straight to Cheltenham. I think Galvin is another horse who could run in the Ballymore."
Commander Of Fleet has tasted defeat just once under Rules and ran on strongly to win a G1 novice hurdle over two miles and six furlongs at Leopardstown on 2nd February and is set to run in the £125,000 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (Gold Cup Day, Friday, 15th March).
"He won a G1 nicely at Leopardstown the last day", commented Elliott.
"Three miles will suit him in the Albert Bartlett and he can take his time early and hunt away.
"He is a nice horse, but I suppose the one negative with him is that he does lack a bit of experience, having had just three runs over hurdles, so we might try and get a school into him before The Festival," he concluded.
MORE TO FOLLOW TOMORROW ON ELLIOTT'S CHELTENHAM TEAM
GORDON ELLIOTT CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL WINNERS
2011
Chicago Grey - National Hunt Chase
Carlito Brigante - Coral Cup
2013
Flaxen Flare - Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Fred Winter)
2014
Tiger Roll - JCB Triumph Hurdle
2015
Cause Of Causes - National Hunt Chase
2016
Diamond King - Coral Cup
Cause Of Causes - Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Handicap Chase
Don Cossack - Bulmers Cheltenham Gold Cup
2017
Labaik - Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle
Apple's Jade - OLBG Mares' Hurdle (David Nicholson)
Tiger Roll - National Hunt Chase
Cause Of Causes -Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase
Fayonagh - Weatherbys Champion Bumper
Champagne Classic - Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle
2018
Samcro - Ballymore Novices' Hurdle (Baring Bingham)
Tiger Roll - Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase
Veneer Of Charm - Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Fred Winter)
Shattered Love - JLT Novices' Chase (Golden Miller)
Delta Work - Pertemps Network Final
The Storyteller - Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate
Farclas - JCB Triumph Hurdle
Blow By Blow - Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle
Gordon Elliott Leading trainer at Cheltenham
2017
2018