Quotes from Gordon Elliott ahead of the 2022 Cheltenham Festival
This Cheltenham Festival starts on Tuesday 15th March
Elliott guided the Racing Post through his team for Cheltenham
Read his quotes on Galvin, Conflated, Zanahiyr and the rest of his Cheltenham team
Gordon Elliott (L) with stable jockey Davy Russell at Cheltenham Racecourse in October. (Getty)
Leading Irish trainer, Gordon Elliott spoke to the Racing Post this week about his raiding party for the Cheltenham Festival. Read all of his key quotes below.
*All quotes taken from Racing Post*
Table Of Contents
Gordon Elliott Cheltenham Festival 2022 Stable Tour
Day One Runners
Mighty Potter - Supreme Novices' Hurdle
Three Stripe Life - Supreme or Ballymore Novices' Hurdle
Riviere D'etel - Arkle Challenge Trophy
Zanahiyr - Champion Hurdle
Teahupoo - Champion Hurdle
Queens Brook - Mares' Hurdle
Run Wild Fred - National Hunt Chase
Fury Road - National Hunt Chase
Day Two Runners
Ginto - Ballymore or the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle
Farouk D'Alene - Brown Advisory Chase
Tiger Roll - Cross Country Chase
American Mike - Champion Bumper
I Am Fortunata - Champion Bumper
Day Three Runners
Party Central - Mares' Novices' Hurdle
Day Four Runners
Pied Pipe - Triumph Hurdle
Fil Dor - Triumph Hurdle
Minella Crooner - Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle
Gerri Colombe - Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle
Hollow Games - Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle
Galvin - Gold Cup
Conflated - Gold Cup or Ryanair
Mount Ida - Mares' Chase
Handicap Hurdle Runners
Handicap Chase Runners
Gordon Elliott Cheltenham Festival 2022 Stable Tour
Day One Runners
Mighty Potter - Supreme Novices' Hurdle
He's going to be a really good chaser further down the road. The Supreme looks as though it'll be a brilliant race, but Mighty Potter is a good horse and he's had his form franked when Three Stripe Life finished second to Sir Gerhard at the Dublin Racing Festival. He ticks a lot of the boxes for the Supreme and we know he'll stay up the hill. The strong pace of the Supreme will really suit and I could see him running a big one.
Three Stripe Life - Supreme or Ballymore Novices' Hurdle
He'll either go for the Supreme or the Ballymore, I'm not sure which one just yet. He came out of the Dublin Racing Festival very well. That was just his third run over hurdles and he's improving all the time. I'm very happy with him.
Riviere D'etel - Arkle Challenge Trophy
I thought she was very good at Leopardstown and if she'd have jumped the last I think she'd have won. She's relaxing a lot better in her races and Cheltenham will really suit her the way she stays. She has a big chance.
Zanahiyr - Champion Hurdle
We might put headgear on Zanahiyr in the Champion Hurdle. I thought he ran very well in the Irish Champion Hurdle but was just beaten by a top-class mare – Honeysuckle looks awesome. Zanahiyr made a mistake at the first and still managed to get back into the race and finish second. After making that mistake, it took him three or four hurdles to get his confidence back, and that's what impressed me the most about him; he had every excuse to lie down but he didn't. Cheltenham will suit him.
Teahupoo - Champion Hurdle
He'll go for the Red Mills Hurdle and, if he comes out of Gowran Park like we hope he does, he could go for the Champion Hurdle.
Queens Brook - Mares' Hurdle
She pulled muscles and was very lame behind but is back in full work now and will go straight for the Mares' Hurdle. Camilla [Sharples, travelling head groom] and the girls have done a lot of work with her. She's a very good mare but she's hard to get fit so we'll have to try to get a few schooling races into her if we can.
Run Wild Fred - National Hunt Chase
The National Hunt Chase is made for Run Wild Fred. It's a race that second-season novices run well in and he ticks a lot of boxes for it.
Fury Road - National Hunt Chase
You can put a line through his run at Leopardstown as he made a bad mistake on ground as soft as he'd want it and he just choked afterwards. He's fine now and, while he's very hot and cold, he could run a big race if the real Fury Road turns up. Alternatively we could look at a handicap for him.
The legendary Tiger Roll could be retired after the Cross Country Chase. (Getty)
Day Two Runners
Ginto - Ballymore or the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle
He hasn't done anything wrong all year and I'm leaning towards running him in the Ballymore. We have the Albert Bartlett as an option as well and I won't nail my colours to the mast just yet, but this lad is not as slow as some people think. I don't know if he wants a real slog just yet and he proved at Naas he's a very good horse. He came out of that very well and we're looking forward to Cheltenham.
Farouk D'Alene - Brown Advisory Chase
He's a good horse, I'm convinced of it. The Brown Advisory could suit and he's improving the whole time. He beat Vanillier over hurdles at Limerick last season and it just knocked the stuffing out of him, so we couldn't get him right afterwards. He has a lot of class and has a good future over fences.
Tiger Roll - Cross Country Chase
If Tiger comes back and wins another Cross Country it will bring the house down, especially for the whole team at Cullentra. It would mean a lot, and he's coming on the whole time in his work at home. He just comes alive around the cross-country course. I was very happy with his run at Navan and he has been over to Cheltenham for a school since. He will head back there in a couple of weeks and we couldn't be happier with how he's been training.
American Mike - Champion Bumper
I couldn't be happier with him. The plan has always been to go the same route as Envoi Allen and Sir Gerhard, and he will go straight to Cheltenham now. I was very impressed with Facile Vega at Leopardstown but American Mike is in great form and we're looking forward to running him.
I Am Fortunata - Champion Bumper
He could be a bit of a dark horse for the Champion Bumper. I haven't discussed it with the owners yet, but the way he won his bumper at Thurles you wouldn't be in a hurry to rule out Cheltenham.
Day Three Runners
Party Central - Mares' Novices' Hurdle
She proved she was very well handicapped at Leopardstown and that was nice. The mares' novice hurdle is the obvious race for her but the County Hurdle could also be an option.
National Hunt Chase winner Galvin will fly the flag for Elliott in the Gold Cup. (Getty)
Day Four Runners
Pied Pipe - Triumph Hurdle
He'd never been away to work before he won at Punchestown so we were expecting to see improvement at Cheltenham. We bought a couple of higher-rated Flat horses this year with the idea of turning them into dual-purpose types for the likes of Royal Ascot and places like that in the summer, and Pied Piper was one of them. Vauban has obviously improved since we beat him at Punchestown, but so have we. I was very impressed with him at Cheltenham and I think he sets a decent standard for the Triumph.
Fil Dor - Triumph Hurdle
The plan is the Triumph, but he'll get an entry in the Boodles just in case. The track on Friday will suit him better and we're looking forward to taking on Vauban again. He was beaten fair and square at Leopardstown but the one thing about him is he really stays. You have to stay to win a Triumph Hurdle and I think the race will suit.
Minella Crooner - Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle
He should have nearly won at Leopardstown. He was too far out of his ground and then missed the second-last; it might have just cost him the race. The Albert Bartlett will really play to this lad's strengths.
Gerri Colombe - Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle
He's one for the Albert Bartlett but, whatever he does this year, it's only a stepping stone for next year because he's going to be a much better chaser. He's a good horse.
Hollow Games - Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle
He disappointed me a little at Leopardstown; I thought he'd finish out his race a little better than he did. He'll go to the Albert Bartlett now.
Galvin - Gold Cup
I really think this lad will go close in the Gold Cup. He's won the National Hunt Chase, so we know he acts well around Cheltenham, and he settles, jumps and stays like hell. If someone told me at the end of November I'd have two in the top five of the betting for the Gold Cup I'd have laughed at them, but Galvin is there on merit. He's a good horse and Ronnie Bartlett has been a great man to train for – he's been very patient. If he comes down the hill within firing distance he'll come up it stronger than anything.
Conflated - Gold Cup or Ryanair
He has a big engine but he's quirky. After he won at Navan, we said the Irish Gold Cup was the only place for him as we needed to find out if he was a Grade 1 horse or not. Whatever way you look at it, he's beaten Minella Indo by six and a half lengths and wasn't stopping at the line either. It's not like he won by a neck; it wasn't a fluke. If he wasn't such a quirky horse nobody would be doubting him. There is only one Gold Cup, and that's why I'd be leaning towards that with him, but obviously the Ryanair is an option as well.
Mount Ida - Mares' Chase
The Mares' Chase is the plan. I know she got outpaced before winning the Kim Muir, but she's a different mare this year and I thought she was very good in winning at Fairyhouse. That was a good performance and she goes there with a chance.
Sire Du Berlais (right) could try to win his third Pertemps Final. (Getty)
Handicap Hurdle Runners
Grand Roi ran well at Leopardstown and could go for the Coral Cup. He had no luck in the race last year and was beaten after a hurdle. I could see him running a nice race in the Coral Cup provided he gets better luck this year.
I've got Sire Du Berlais, Dunboyne, Folcano, Sassy Yet Classy, Mars Harper, Dallas Des Pictons and Tullybeg qualified for the Pertemps Final and the plan is to run them all. It's a race we target every year and we could have a good hand.
I'd say we're looking at Top Bandit, Magic Tricks and Call Me Lyreen for the County Hurdle. Top Bandit looks as though he has a nice mark for the race, which is why we said we'd keep him for it rather than running him at the Dublin Racing Festival. He's won at Cheltenham and we think the fast pace of a County Hurdle will really suit him.
We could end up having five or six runners in the Martin Pipe, and Chemical Energy has been targeted at the race all season. Au Fleuron could be a Martin Pipe horse as well.
Britzka would have to have a solid chance in the Boodles. We have a good few for it. Ebasari is qualified now and he'd have an each-way chance. I'm also hoping to get The Tide Turns qualified in time.
If the McNeills want a runner at Cheltenham I could run I A Connect in the Martin Pipe but I might keep him for the Connolly's Red Mills Auction Series Final at Punchestown instead.
We haven't decided what route we take with Saint Felicien but we'll look at handicaps for him.
Handicap Chase Runners
Buddy Rich is the only one we have for the Grand Annual. He ran very well in a handicap at Fairyhouse back in November and we said straight away we'd freshen him up for Cheltenham.
Braeside will go for the National Hunt Chase and Grand Paradis will join Frontal Assault in the Kim Muir.
