THE constant dull, grey drizzle of this winter stretches across the country on Tuesday morning from Dundalk through Ardee, Navan and Trim. It’s a long way from the roar of Cheltenham, four weeks away in March, as the tapes go up for the Supreme Novices.
But just as we approach Longwood, the lights on the car dashboard screen switch from dark to daylight. Yes, it’s much brighter round Cullentra this winter… brighter days on the horizon, in more ways than one.
The Jockey Club pre-Cheltenham media morning brings the UK press to the yard and 30 probables do light work, the key members of the Elliott string having had a quiet week after the DRF. Cheltenham is exactly four weeks away from Tuesday, Ballyfad and Brighterdaysahead lead the squad in alphabetical order down to Wodhooh as the horses work.
Cross Country fancy Favori De Champdou is the oldest on show at 11, down to the Triumph contender Mange Tout.
Elliott had been the Festival’s top trainer on two occasions in 2017 and 2018, just missed out with seven winners in 2020 and he is fourth in the overall list with 41 winners. After his absence from the 2021 Festival, things have been tougher, the Stayers’ Hurdle providing him with two of his three Grade 1 wins in that time. Looking at the ante-post lists, it’s the only race where he currently has a favourite with Teahupoo.
Emotional win
Last year, he had to wait until the final race to get an emotional win on the board in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle. Ten runners were placed over the four days.
“It just shows, last year we had to wait for the last race. We hit the crossbar umpteen times with seconds, thirds, fourths. On another week, we could have three or four winners very easy and you’d have gone home saying you’d had a great week, but it’s sport and you’ve got to keep your head up and keep going to the next day,” he said.
“As hard as it was for me, for all my staff who were putting in all the hours, it was harder for them. When you look at this season, everything is bouncing right for us. That’s sport. It was a long, tough week, but you just put those days behind you but that’s what makes it better when you win.”
The Elliott team will be led into battle on the Tuesday by El Cairos, a faller at Leopardstown at Christmas and a winner at Thurles, despite again making a mistake at the last.
His jockey has no concerns on the Supreme Novices contender, Jack Kennedy saying: “He’s always been a very fast horse, probably the fastest I’ve ridden. I don’t have any concerns to be honest, he jumped very well in Thurles the last day. The mistake at the last was my fault. I wouldn’t have any concerns about his jumping.”
This year will be the 10th anniversary of one of Elliott’s greatest achievements, winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Don Cossack. “It’s hard to believe it’s 10 years, a lot more grey hairs and couple of holes extra on the belt. We’ve had a lot of good days and bad days since it, but it’s a day we’ll never forget.” And the focus is on the 2026 team.
Gordon Elliott runs the rule over some of his big Festival hopes:
Brighterdaysahead
Unibet Champion Hurdle
I think last year she wasn’t right. The mare didn’t do anything wrong [in 2024], Jack and Paul were looking at each other and that good mare called Golden Ace came and nabbed both of them.
We might do something different this year. We might stable her outside Cheltenham this year and just try and do something different. I think the ground’s going to be beautiful on the Tuesday. The one ground you wouldn’t want is quick ground and I don’t think we’re going to have that on the Tuesday.
It is an open Champion Hurdle. There’s two or three horses at the top of the betting that could win it. She’s in very good form and I couldn’t be happier with her.
It’s a good race. The Skelton horse [The New Lion] will be very good, obviously Golden Ace keeps going under the radar and I suppose all eyes will be on Constitution Hill to see if he’ll be going back over hurdles.
I think she’s a very good mare and everyone can see that. She’s not fancy at home, but she keeps doing her work. We’re looking forward to seeing her at Cheltenham, but it’s the Champion Hurdle and it won’t be easy.
You’re always thinking of something different. It’s obvious - she’s been to Cheltenham twice and hasn’t won and last year was very bad. But for me, she was beaten after a hurdle last year and we had a little problem after it. But if you don’t try and tweak and change things, then you shouldn’t be training horses. That’s my job and I’m trying to do something different every day.
Ballyfad
SkyBet Supreme/Turners Novices’ Hurdle
I haven’t spoken to Michael and Eddie about him yet. My own feeling is the further he goes, the better he’s going to be. He’s not a fancy work horse at home and if you look at him in races he looks turning in like he’s going to be beaten, but he’s very gutsy and he picks up. Again, that could suit the Supreme as well, but he has both options.
My feeling is the middle distance would suit him better. If it keeps raining, God knows what the ground could be like on the first day.
Favori De Champdou
Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase
The Cross Country at Cheltenham and then the Grand National is the plan. I thought he really took to the Cross Country the first day [fell in December]. He actually overjumped.
I was really impressed when he won there the last day and I think the fact there is a Stumptown in there is a bonus because it should keep us 7 or 8lb off the top. He had lost his way a bit, but came back to win the Paddy Power and Cross-Country. He is one we are looking forward to.
El Cairos
SkyBet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
He’s a very fast horse and he works very, very well. He looked like he was going to be very impressive at Leopardstown and I thought what he did at Thurles on a track that wouldn’t suit him - ground that was nearly unraceable - but I was very keen to get a run into him and we were kind of running out of time.
He’s not a big, robust horse, not the biggest horse in the world, so I didn’t want to be running him three or four weeks out from Cheltenham. I wanted to get a run into him. I think he’s a quick horse and I think the race will suit him.
Honesty Policy
Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle
I think the course at Cheltenham will suit him. He is a classy horse and improved all through last year. I was very impressed with what he did at Ascot (when a staying-on third in the Long Walk Hurdle).
“I was keen to run him at Navan, but the ground was just so heavy and I didn’t want to pull the legs out of him as he’s not the biggest or most robust horse. We’ll get a racecourse gallop into him and he’ll go straight to Cheltenham.”
Mange Tout
JCB Triumph Hurdle
She hasn’t done much wrong. She raced pretty keenly at Leopardstown the last day, when I was very impressed with Willie’s horse [Narciso Has] and I don’t know really what is going to beat him.
We have the Fred Winter and the mares’ novices’ hurdle plus Fairyhouse to look at as well. There is no plan in concrete yet.
Oldschool Outlaw
Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle
She impressed me the last day, she has a good attitude. I love the way she quickened from the last to the line and I’m really looking forward to the mares’ novices’ hurdle with her. She has obviously already beaten Bambino Fever, who will come on for that, but we have come on too. I think she’s improving at home all the time and is a nice mare.
Romeo Coolio
Singer Arkle/Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase
I don’t think three miles will be a problem at all, it’s just whether it’s the right thing for him at this stage of his career - I’m not sure. The owners are from the UK and they’d be very keen to have runners at Cheltenham. If the middle-distance race was there, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, but maybe for racing it’s good that it’s not there and it’ll make either race better.
I think he’s won two Grade 1s over two miles because of his guts and his heart. He’s been going as quick as he can from three or four out in every race and he just showed how good a horse he is.
The Arkle is going to be a hot race if Kopek comes back and Nicky’s horse [Lulamba] was very good the other day and everything else that will run in the race. A lot of horses are going to get beaten in the Arkle and end up being very good going forward and it wouldn’t shock me if that was him.
I suppose the one thing is if he wasn’t within firing distance of them swinging off the home turn. He’s going to come home strong - it’s just whether he gets out of his comfort zone coming down the hill or not, would be my concern.
I don’t worry about anyone’s horses bar my own. I’ve got other horses for that [Brown Advisory] race. Whether we decide we go there or not, it wouldn’t be Final Demand I’d be afraid of - it’s just on the day what turns up.
There’s no reason to say Willie won’t get him back to Cheltenham in top form. He just never looked happy the last day.
Skylight Hustle
Turners Novices’ Hurdle
He’ll go to the 2m 5f. He obviously was a fortunate winner at Christmas. I think Talk The Talk was going to beat him. Jack wasn’t sure, but for me I thought he was gone.
But our horse did hit the line very well. I think two-five will really suit him, but I think he’d travel very well in a two-mile race.
Teahupoo
Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle
He is another year older and more than any of us, is holding his condition a bit more, so I thought an extra run probably wasn’t a bad idea.
He is in great form but never does anything fancy at home, so you never know where you really are with him. He is a warrior and has good form around Cheltenham, so we are really looking forward to it.
Nicky’s horse, I was impressed with in Ascot [Impose Toi], but I was impressed by Honesty Policy, he hit the line strong. I was keen to run him at Navan last week, but the ground was just so heavy, I didn’t want to pull the legs of him because he’s not the biggest, robust horse.
Teahupoo sets the standard and Honesty Policy is the young gun coming behind him - they are two nice horses, but Teahupoo has the form in the book.
The Wallpark
Princess Royal National Hunt Challenge Cup
Novices’ Handicap Chase
The Wallpark could maybe run in the National Hunt chase, which is the best race I would say. To be honest, we’re not even sure he’s going to go, we’ll see what happens.
Wodhooh
Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle
She’s in great form. She’s not fancy at home. She wouldn’t knock you out with her work, but she keeps winning. She’s only been beaten once, by Lossiemouth, but she’s a good mare.
She is a little bit like Golden Ace in that she keeps winning, but probably hasn’t got the credit she probably deserves. We don’t know how good she is. She has only been beaten once, when she was beaten just under three lengths by Lossiemouth on her first run in open company at Aintree.
We’d be more hopeful than confident about beating Lossiemouth, because she’s a superstar. The longer trip will suit Lossiemouth, but our mare is going there in good form and we are looking forward to it.
Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup
Stellar Story will run if the ground is on the soft side - if it’s not, he won’t. Firefox ran a great race in the Irish Gold Cup when he was fourth and could be the sort of horse to run into a place at a massive price.
I am 50-50 with Three Card Brag - he could maybe go for the Bobbyjo Chase instead and then on to the Grand National instead. It looks like there will be a big field and it will suit a horse dropping in a bit, because there is going to be an awful lot of pace in the race with Rebecca Curtis’ horse. It looks like a great race, we’ve a few outsiders and we’d be hopeful for a good run more than confident.
Handicaps
Novice hurdle and handicap entries are still to be finalised with Kazansky still in the Albert Bartlett and Martin Pipe. Elliott saying “it’s going to be hard to get the runs into horses for some of those handicaps.”
Road Exile is in the Turners and Albert Bartlett. Handicap possibles include Down Memory Lane (Plate), Ndaawi (County Hurdle), Open Secret (Martin Pipe), The Yellow Clay (Coral Cup or Stayers), while Patter Merchant, The Enabler, Will Do are all awaiting definite targets.
Elliott had the first three home in the DRF Bumper in Broadway Ted, With Nolimit and Charismatic Kid, but still has Keep Him Company as his number one in that race.
Western Fold - Brown Advisory Novices
“I was thrilled with him when he was second at Leopardstown. He had only been back with us for three or four weeks before he ran finishing second in that Grade 1.
“With a bit of better ground and the experience he has, I think he could be a bit of a dark horse for the Brown Advisory. He has so much experience and he stays so well. He has 11 runs over fences, which is mad for a novice, but he’s battle-hardened. He’s crying out for three miles, the longer they go the better. To go to Down Royal in open company, that was a serious run.”
What he would do with Constitution Hill
“I don’t think they’ll learn any more at Southwell than Nicky will have already known. So if he runs in the race [Champion Hurdle], it’ll make it a better race, won’t it?
Asked what would he do with a horse like that to fix the problems, he said: “I’d stop talking to ye! Let the horse do the talking. The horse has been unlucky. I’m not having it said that he’s a bad jumper and this and that. He’s just been a bit unlucky and maybe has lost a bit of confidence, but Nicky Henderson is a master trainer and whatever he does will be the right thing for the horse. I just worry about my own horses.”
On targeting horses to suit owners
“We discuss it all together and see what happens, it depends on what runs in other races, everything will be discussed but they pay the bills.”
On owner Michael O’Leary: “He takes it in his stride, I don’t think it’ll change his life, but he’d love to win a Champion Hurdle. Cheltenham is one of the week’s of the year he goes racing for the week with his family, he puts a lot into the game, it would be lovely to see him having winners.”
And the six million dollar question
The question: “And on the domestic scene, you are ahead…”
The quickest reply of the morning: “I’ve no chance. No chance,” was the immediate reply on the Irish trainers’ championship.
Gordon Elliott Festival wins over the last five years
2022 Commander Of Fleet, Coral Cup
2022 Delta Work, Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase
2023 Jazzy Matty, Boodles Juvenile Hcp; Delta Work, Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase; Sire Du Berlais, Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle
2024 Teahupoo, Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle; Stellar Story, Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle; Better Days Ahead, Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle
2025 Wodhooh, Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle