Gordon Elliott, currently leading the Irish trainers' championship, will have a team of 30 horses set to line up at the Cheltenham Festival in 14 days time.

He outlined his plans for the festival today at a media visit to his yard arranged by Cheltenham Racecourse.

He currently leads the Irish trainers' championship with 161 winners and total prize money of more than €3.3 million.

Elliott has trained eight festival winners in his short career and achieved the pinnacle of chasing success last year when Don Cossack won the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

When asked which if he'd trade a trainers' championship for a Gold Cup, Elliott was quick to reply. "I've no chance of winning the trainers' championship so it'll have to be a Gold Cup then!."

The facilities at Cullentra now contain four gallops, seven walkers and a swimming pool for the 170 horses currently in his care.

Elliott also went on to mention the part Martin Pipe and Tony Martin had played in his early career.

His string was boosted this season by the split of Willie Mullins and Gigginstown which saw him add some high quality performers to his yard including the two Gold Cup contenders Don Poli and Outlander.

Gordon pictured with Empire Of Dirt

"I started off winning races in Perth, you can't forget where you started. You can't forget about the small men, if the big ones go, where are you?"

"I started training for the O’Leary’s seven or eight years ago and I’ve never had any problems with them. They’re straight with me and I’m straight with them. Of course we have our disagreements and they might not agree with my opinion, but if you work hard and do your best you’ll always be okay. They support us with a lot of good horses."

He went on to give the latest on his 2017 team led by the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup contenders.

TOMBSTONE

All being well he’ll be supplemented for the Champion Hurdle. He’s got good form from the track last year, so why not? If he works well at the weekend and all is well we’ll supplement. It’s a very good race, but it’s an open enough race. I’m not saying he’s good enough to win a Champion Hurdle but when you see Petit Mouchoir is third or fourth favourite, he was well beaten by Tombstone in the Supreme last year. He should’ve gone chasing but he had a setback, so why not. I’ve never had a runner in the Champion Hurdle so I don’t know what it will take to win one but I think he’s not a bad horse. He’ll definitely go chasing next season.

OUTLANDER

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’s not a Don Cossack. He won the Gold Cup last year by seven or eight lengths and I’m not stupid enough to think I can have another one the following year. 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. 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.

DON POLI

Don Poli’s had enough chances in a Gold Cup and he hasn’t won one but he’s definitely in good form. His last few runs have been good. He’s been very sweet the last two. I don’t know what happened at Down Royal, it was an embarrassment. The way he ran that day he wouldn’t win a point-to-point. There’s not much between the Irish horses. I’d say Outlander and Djakadam could be the two as they’re going there fresh, the others like Don Poli have had two races since, but I don’t think there’s a lot between the Irish horses.

For more on Gordon Elliott's Cheltenham team - pick up this week's The Irish Field