GORDON Elliott showed off his team of horses for the Cheltenham Festival in 10 day’s time to a well attended media morning on Tuesday.
“We’ll have around 30 runners over the four days and they will start to head over there on the Friday or Saturday. Olly and Busty will more than likely head over with them and Busty is a big part of the team and he is a huge help to me around the place,” he said. “He would do a lot of work at the sales as well and it’s great to have lads like him in the yard.”
APPLE’S JADE
5yo b m (1121-12212)
Saddler Maker - Apple’s For Ever
Gigginstown House Stud
She’ll go for the Mares’ Hurdle. I suppose that you’d be a bit disappointed with her run at Punchestown but look, Limini didn’t surprise me at all, she was the better horse on the day and we had absolutely no excuses. Better ground and a faster gallop would suit our mare and she came out of Punchestown in good shape.
She has won a Grade 1 for us this season so hopefully she’ll run well over there and then we’ll see where she’ll go for the rest of the season. She’s a nice mare to have and I’m looking forward to running her.
AUTOMATED
6yo b g (3132-803451)
Authorized - Red Blooded Woman
David Spratt & Kevin McMunigal
He’ll go for the Coral Cup and two miles and five on good ground will be fine for him. He had some good form before he won at Navan last year and after that race, we put him by with this race in mind.
BARRA
6yo b m (114161-2215)
Vendangeur - Oasaka
Gigginstown House Stud
She’ll go for the mares’ novice. Hopefully two miles on better ground will be ideal for her - the mares’ division is very strong in Ireland this year. Willie has some very good mares and Jessie’s mare ran in Grade 1s this season before she won at Naas so it won’t be easy, but she’ll take her chance.
BLOOD CRAZED TIGER
6yo b g (P/0252-11113F4)
King’s Theatre - Mardi Roberta
Gigginstown House Stud
He’ll run in the Neptune. Gigginstown might have a few runners in that race and he’ll be one of them. I’d be surprised if he was good enough to win, but he ran a nice race the last day and he seems to be in good shape at home. Better ground could suit him.
BRELADE
5yo b g (2-421123)
Presenting - Polivalente
D P Sharkey
Stepping up in trip could help him. He’s in the Martin Pipe (11st 8lb) and the Coral Cup (10st 9lb) and we’ll see what sort of weight he gets. Ground wouldn’t be an issue with him, he’ll go on any ground. He is an improving horse and I’d say there is more to come from him.
BLESS THE WINGS
12yo b g (33353431422-768208)
Winged Love - Silva Venture
Adrian Butler & S P O’Connor
CAUSE OF CAUSES
9yo b g (7518/0051P-5P05)
Dynaformer - Angel In My Heart
John P McManus
They will go for the Cross-Country Chase. Keith will ride Bless The Wings - he knows him well and they get on so that’s the plan. He has been a great horse for us and he was second in the race last year and was placed in the Irish National. He seems to come to himself on better ground so hopefully he’ll get that.
Jamie rides Cause Of Causes and he’ll go for the Aintree National after this.
DEATH DUTY
6yo b g (13/112-1111)
Shantou - Midnight Gift
Gigginstown House Stud
He goes for the Albert Bartlett. He is in the Neptune but three miles is his comfort zone. He’s typical of the type of horse that Eddie and Michael buy in that he is a three-mile chaser in the making and I’ve said all along that he’ll go for the three-mile race.
He’s unbeaten over hurdles and, for a horse that stays well, he is far from slow. He is a grand horse and we freshened him after he won at Naas and all has been well with him since.
DIAMOND KING
9yo b g (11/131/7P/4211-4154)
King’s Theatre - Georgia On My Mind
Mrs Diana L Whateley
He is in good nick and we know that he likes it around Cheltenham and on a bit of bit of good ground and you’ll see a different horse. I’m looking forward to him, he goes for the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate on the Thursday and we’ll see what mark he gets (11st), but he is tipping away at home and doing everything right.
DINARIA DES OBEAUX
4yo b f (1-131)
Saddler Maker - Indiana Jaune
Gigginstown House Stud
She was good the other day and, long term, she will want two and a half miles plus, but she is a tough mare and we might go for the Fred Winter (10st 12lb) instead of the Triumph. I think Cheltenham will suit her.
We’ll see what mark she gets and then we’ll know which way we’ll go. There is also the Mares’ Novice Hurdle to consider – we’ll look at the weights and we don’t have to make up our minds for a while yet.
DON POLI
8yo b g (51132-3P23)
Poliglote - Dalamine
Gigginstown House Stud
Don Poli’s has some good form around Cheltenham and we know that he’ll get the trip so it would be great if he got into the money again. He ran terrible on his first run for us at Down Royal but his two runs since have been much better.
He jumps and he stays and he goes there with a chance, but I’d be surprised if there wasn’t one or two better than him, but we have changed his routine a bit and he seems to be in very good form. We’ll just keep him ticking over now.
EMPIRE OF DIRT
10yo b g (F2P11-12)
Westerner - Rose Of Inchiquin
Gigginstown House Stud
He’s going for the Ryanair, that’s the plan and it looks like he has a chance. I thought he ran very well in the Irish Gold Cup and it was a big enough step up for him. He would appreciate better ground and he has won around Cheltenham so he ticks a few boxes. He travels well and, touch wood, he has jumped well for us. He still has to improve to win a race like that but he proved the last day that he can compete in Grade 1 company.
JURY DUTY
6yo b g (63/334413-212)
Well Chosen - Swan Heart
Sideways Syndicate
The Pertemps is the race we’ve had in mind for him for a while (11st 9lb). He got a nasty cut after he won at Navan so I had to send him to Chepstow last Saturday to get him qualified. He is also in the Coral Cup but that was just in case he wasn’t qualified. But after he was second the other day, he’ll definitely go for the Pertemps. He likes to be held up and he’s owned by a good bunch of lads, friends of mine, so it would be great if he could win for them. I think he has his chance and granted luck in running, he has an each-way chance.
MEGA FORTUNE
4yo b g (F1331)
Soldier Of Fortune - Far Across
Chris Jones
Mega Fortune goes for the Triumph Hurdle. He’s won a Grade 1 and I’d say the cheekpieces have made a massive difference to him. He liked being handy the last day and that is the way we’ll ride him.
He doesn’t do a lot at home – you’d think he was an old chaser - but he saves plenty for himself and I just hope that the cheekpieces work the next day. He handles any ground and he ticks plenty of boxes for a Triumph Hurdle horse.
MICK JAZZ
6yo b g (6232/P-1231)
Blue Bresil - Mick Maya
George P Mahoney
He is in the County Hurdle (10st 11lb) and the Supreme Novices and I’d say he is more likely to run in the County, but we’ll see what weight he gets first. He won well at Punchestown and ground doesn’t matter that much to him. I think a fast run two miles will be ideal for him and I think he’ll get into the mix over there.
NOBLE ENDEAVOR
8yo b g (2312F-P541)
Flemensfirth - Old Moon
Chris Jones
He goes for the handicap chase on the first day (11st 4lb). He was still in contention when he came down in the four-miler last year. His form round Cheltenham is good. He has won a Paddy Power at Leopardstown and was second in a Martin Pipe and he was in the process of running a massive race last year. He likes nice ground and after Cheltenham he’ll go for the Irish National.
OUTLANDER
9yo b g (3111F2-22F21)
Stowaway - Western Whisper
Gigginstown House Stud
Outlander goes for the Gold Cup. He’s unexposed and it’s his first time over the trip but the way he’ll be ridden will suit him. We’ll drop him in and take our time. He has surprised me. At home he doesn’t do anything too fancy, but he’s improving with each run and I’m looking forward to running him in the Gold Cup.
The way he ran at Down Royal [in November] he wouldn’t have won a point-to-point but I’d say that a few of those horses that came out of Willie’s, when I ran them at Down Royal, I hadn’t given them enough work. He’s had three runs, he was second at Down Royal, he fell at Clonmel, second at Punchestown and then won the Lexus. So he’s fresh and he’ll go to Cheltenham and then Punchestown all being well.
RUNFORDAVE
5yo b g (42131F31)
Stowaway - Poetics Girl
Mrs P Sloan
He has a good few entries and in all the handicaps as well as the Neptune and we’ll see what weight he gets in the Martin Pipe (11st 5lb). He’ll get three miles and he is in the Coral Cup as well and he will be lovely horse to jump a fence. He is improving away and he is a horse that we’ve always liked.
SHATTERED LOVE
6yo b m (1/13-12211)
Yeats - Tracker
Gigginstown House Stud
I might run her in the Neptune where she’d get the mares’ allowance. Her form isn’t far off the best of all those mares in Ireland, she wasn’t beaten far by those good mares of Willie’s (Let’s Dance and Airlie Beach) and she beat Forge Meadow well. I just think the mares’ novice could be a bit short for her I wouldn’t want her to get taken off her feet.
TIGER ROLL
7yo b g (P114U222133)
Authorized - Swiss Roll
Gigginstown House Stud
Tiger Roll goes for the four-miler. He’s 152-rated and he could be higher in England, there won’t be many as highly-rated as him in the race. He’s had his issues but he’s still a good horse. Better ground will suit him, he’ll definitely get the trip.
If Jamie Codd doesn’t ride him - I think he’s booked to ride A Genie In ABottle - I might let Lisa O’Neill ride him. She’s working hard here in the yard and she’s been very lucky for Gigginstown. There will be no big pressure on her if she rides him. It would be some double, a Triumph and a four-miler, from one extreme to the other.
THE STORYTELLER
6yo ch g (24-21F211)
Shantou - Bally Bolshoi
Mrs P Sloan
I really like this lad and he is improving with every run. He is in the Martin Pipe (11st 7lb) and it is possible that he could run in that and I’m really looking forward to running him in the Martin Pipe. Jeannot De Nonant (11st 1lb) and Carrig Cathal (11st 1lb) are possibles for the race as well and for obvious reasons it’s a race I’d love to win.
THE GAME CHANGER
8yo b g (111142-2234324P)
Arcadio - Gilt Ridden
Gigginstown House Stud
We’ll run him in the Champion Chase against Douvan; there’s still a good bit of prize money to go after. Douvan looks one of the certainties of the week but he’ll go there. He has been a great money spinner for us and look if you’re not in you can’t win and you can’t run away from one horse. Hopefully he’ll pick up some prize money.
TOMBSTONE
7yo ch g (31/11224-31)
Robin Des Champs - Connaught Hall
Gigginstown House Stud
All being well he’ll be supplemented for the Champion Hurdle. It looks a very open race this year and he did it well when he won at Gowran so on the basis that he might improve again, he is entitled to take his chance.
There is only one way of knowing if he is good enough and fair play to Eddie and Michael, they are keen to let him take his chance. If he works well at the weekend and all is well we’ll supplement him. Petit Mouchoir is third or fourth favourite, and he was beaten by Tombstone in the Supreme last year. The plan had been to go chasing but he had a few little niggly things wrong with him. He’ll be my first runner in a Champion Hurdle and he’ll definitely go chasing next season.
OTHER CHELTENHAM
RUNNERS
Taglietelle (10st 11lb) goes for the Coral Cup. He has dropped down a bit in the handicap since last year and he likes better ground as well. Sutton Manor (11st 6lb) won well the other day at Clonmel under Lisa and he could join Jury Duty (11st 9lb) in the Pertemps. Squouateur will be aimed at the Kim Muir or possibly the Close Brothers race. Tell Us More (10st 10lb) will hopefully go for the County Hurdle. He has been running well over fences and we’ll see what weight he gets in that, but he could be interesting in something like that.