Tiger Roll is in the clear in the Cross Country Chase
Five key stats about Gordon Elliott and his Cheltenham Festival record
By Tony McFadden
16:31 · MON February 28, 2022
Tony McFadden examines Gordon Elliott's impressive CV at the Cheltenham Festival and highlights five key statistics.
1. Gordon Elliott's shares the record with Willie Mullins for most winners at one Festival
Gordon Elliott has saddled 32 winners at the Cheltenham Festival, a total that places him sixth on the all-time list behind Willie Mullins (78), Nicky Henderson (70), Paul Nicholls (46), Fulke Walwyn (40) and Martin Pipe (34). It is remarkable to think that Elliott is so high on the list when you consider he only sent out his first Festival winner, Chicago Grey, in 2011.
He has made a huge impact at the Festival since that point and was crowned the meeting's leading trainer in 2017 and 2018. Elliott sent out an astonishing eight winners in 2018, equalling the benchmark set by his great rival Willie Mullins three years earlier, and the feat was all the more remarkable as he had left empty-handed on the first day!
The horses who provided Elliott with those wins were Samcro (Ballymore), Tiger Roll (Cross Country), Veneer of Charm (Boodles), Shattered Love (JLT), Delta Work (Pertemps), The Storyteller (Plate), Farclas (Triumph) and Blow By Blow (Martin Pipe).
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2. Elliott has posted a level-stake profit of more than £60 to £1 stakes with his handicap hurdlers since the 2010 Festival
Backing all of Elliott's runners at the Cheltenham Festival since 2010 would have resulted in a profit in excess of £90 to £1 level stakes. His record in handicap hurdles has been especially impressive, winning ten such contests and returning a profit in excess of £60 to £1 level stakes.
Elliott has won the Pertemps and Boodles on three occasions and the Coral Cup and Martin Pipe twice. He is still searching for a first win in the County Hurdle but is responsible for one of the leading contenders this year in Top Bandit, who has won three of his four starts over hurdles, including a maiden on Cheltenham's Old Course in October.
3. Elliott's Tiger Roll is bidding to equal the record for most wins by one horse at the Festival
Tiger Roll, the first horse since Red Rum to win more than one edition of the Grand National, already has an incredible CV and he could enhance it further if winning the Cross Country Chase at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival. Quevega holds the record for the most wins by one horse at the Festival with six victories in the Mares' Hurdle, but Tiger Roll will join her on that mark if successful again.
Tiger Roll would arguably be deserving of even more credit than Quevega as his victories have come in three different races - he won the Triumph Hurdle (2014), National Hunt Chase (2017) and three editions of the Cross Country Chase (2018, 2019, 2021).
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4. Elliott has won the National Hunt Chase four times - and he trained last year's winner for much of the campaign
Jonjo O'Neill was undoubtedly the man to follow in the National Hunt Chase in the first decade of the 21st century, winning the race four times between 2002 and 2007. However, Gordon Elliott has been the dominant force in the race since Chicago Grey scored in 2011.
Elliott has also landed the National Hunt Chase with Cause of Causes (2015), Tiger Roll (2017) and Ravenhill (2020), and last year's winner Galvin was in his care for most of the campaign (he switched to Ian Ferguson's yard after Elliott was hit with his well-publicised suspension in the lead up to the meeting).
Elliott is responsible for three horses at a single-figure price for this year's edition in the shape of Run Wild Fred, Farouk d'Alene and Fury Road. Run Wild Fred is the shortest-priced of that trio and he is at the head of Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings for the race based on the smart form he showed when bolting up in the prestigious Troytown Handicap Chase.
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5. Elliott has won three of the last four editions of the Pertemps Final
The Irish have won the last six editions of the Pertemps Final, with Elliott responsible for three of them. He completed a hat-trick between 2018 and 2020 thanks to Delta Work and dual winner Sire du Berlais - and he sent out the runner-up in two of those editions for good measure. We'll know more about Elliott's prospects of landing a fourth Pertemps Final after the handicap weights are revealed on Tuesday, but, unless he is hit with a hefty mark, Dunboyne looks like a strong contender for the trainer. Dunboyne was a big eye-catcher when fifth in the Leopardstown qualifier just after Christmas - a race that has had a big bearing on this contest in recent years - as he met trouble at a crucial point before keeping on nicely under a hands-and-heels ride. He also met with interference on his latest start and appeals as a likely improver if getting a clear shot at things.
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