Fran Berry reflects on a pre-Cheltenham Festival visit to Gordon Elliott's yard with Samcro, Delta Work, Envoi Allen, Abacadabras and Tiger Roll coming under the spotlight.
1. Don’t give up on Samcro yet
Gordon Elliott is a master at getting horses back after a blip. We saw what he did with Don Cossack a few years ago and it’s worth remembering his story.
He was a highly-touted future chaser as a novice hurdler but really struggled in the second half of his first season over fences. He was beaten at Leopardstown, fell in the RSA Chase, was second at Aintree and then finished fourth at Punchestown. His bubble had burst – or so we thought. How wrong we were. Gordon freshened him up, tinkered with a few things, got his confidence back and he won 10 of his next 12 races - the culmination of which was an emphatic victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
So let’s not give up on Samcro just yet. Gordon certainly hasn’t. He’s tweaked his wind since Christmas and if he goes to Cheltenham – which isn’t a given as they might save him for Fairyhouse – then he might just remind everyone of how talented he is in the Marsh Chase. “He’s been showing me plenty at home,” says Elliott. “He always does.” The engine clearly remains intact. And he’s got the right man looking for the key.
2. Delta Work building towards Gold
Talking of Don Cossack, we know that Gordon Elliott knows what it takes to win a Gold Cup. And this year he thinks he’s got another major contender in Delta Work.
Let’s wind the clock back 12 months. Three from three as a novice chaser, he went into last year’s Festival as a 15-8 favourite for the RSA Chase. He finished third, but he travelled well, got squeezed for room at a vital stage and then stayed on again up the hill.
He shaped like a Gold Cup horse at the time and things are panning out like that. He had a minor blip of his own, at Down Royal on his seasonal reappearance, but since then he’s two from two in Grade One contests at Leopardstown.
A change of tactics has been key. Holding him up, finishing fast and late. It’s worked a treat at Leopardstown, but can it work at Cheltenham in a Gold Cup?
"I think he's made for the race,” says Elliott. “His style of racing will suit - going three-mile-two. He's won five or six Grade Ones and gets the job done."
That he does and there’s one more point to make - Elliott also says he made a mistake last season not running him between Christmas and Cheltenham. So I wouldn’t worry about him having a hard race in the Irish Gold Cup. He seems to thrive on racing and looks to be working towards a peak.
3. Exciting Envoi could be anything
There are few more exciting prospects in racing than Envoi Allen.
Unbeaten in seven career starts – eight if you include his point-to-point – he’s the envy of everyone else and Gordon Elliott’s eyes light up when he talks about him.
There was a bit of pressure on the trainer here as he’s an expensive purchase running in the famous Cheveley Park colours, but, so far, neither horse nor handler has put a foot wrong.
Only six, we still don’t know how good he is. And we don’t really know what discipline he’ll excel at yet, either.
As 5/4 favourite for the Ballymore, his will be one of the most eagerly-awaited performances at this year’s Cheltenham Festival. But what about after that?
“He was bought to be a three mile chaser,” says Elliott. “But what he does at Cheltenham will define whether he goes for the Champion Hurdle or goes chasing next season.”
All options are open, then. He could be a Champion Hurdle horse, a Gold Cup horse – or something in between!
4. Shishkin has a serious rival in Abacadabras
Shishkin has firmly established himself as favourite for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle but Nicky Henderson is not the only one hoping to start the Festival with a bang.
Elliott has Abacadabras lined up for the curtain raiser and he’s building himself a nice little CV this season, winning three of his four hurdles – his only defeat coming at the hands of stablemate Envoi Allen.
All of his winning in Ireland, though, has come on soft ground. We might get that on day one of the Festival or we might not, but, his trainer is firmly of the opinion he’ll be a better horse on better ground in any case.
Elliott feels a more strongly-run race will suit him, too, and his opinion of this horse is clear; he thinks he’s very good and we’ve not seen the best of him yet.
Let’s hope he’s right, as a proper England v Ireland battle to kick off the Festival could set the tone for the week very nicely indeed.
5. Tiger bidding to make history
😻 How about this for a selfie!?
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) February 18, 2020
🏆 Our man @Franmberry and dual Grand National hero Tiger Roll strike a perfect pose...#CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/TsoPW24WP1
Ask Gordon Elliott which race he’d most like to win at this year’s Cheltenham Festival and what do you think he’d say?
Gold Cup? Champion Hurdle? The Ballymore, the Supreme or the Martin Pipe?
The answer is none of the above. The answer is the Cross Country Chase – so it just goes to show you how high Tiger Roll ranks in his affections as in a normal year winning this race (again) would not be at the top of his priorities.
But this is Tiger. Two-time Grand National winner and going for a third. But first he has the small matter of trying to achieve a fifth Cheltenham Festival success – just about the number that automatically means you get at least a bar named after you at the home of jumps racing.
Fingers crossed he has a spring to remember – five Cheltenham Festival wins and three Grand Nationals. Now that would be some record!
