DAY FOUR PREVIEW:GORDON ELLIOTT is not someone who does things by halves and so the Grand National winning trainer could end up breaking his Cheltenham Festival duck in some style today with Carlito Brigante fancied to land the opening JCB Triumph Hurdle.
Co Meath-based Elliott famously won the 2007 National with Silver Birch before he had even saddled a single winner in Ireland, but since then he has carved out a reputation as a shrewd operator on both sides of the Irish Sea.
He has targeted a Festival winner as an ambition and if Carlito Brigante does succeed in the juvenile championship it could well represent the best value €40,000 that Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has ever spent.
That’s the price O’Leary paid to buy the horse after he won his first jumps race at Musselburgh and he got an immediate Grade Two pay-off at Christmas as the ex-David Wachman runner belied 20 to 1 odds to beat Alaivan by 11 lengths.
“He would break your heart riding him in work but despite his homework he keeps winning,” said his jockey Davy Russell yesterday. “I don’t know if he is a Triumph horse but it might be his style.”
Scolardy, in 2002, was the last Irish Triumph winner and his trainer Willie Mullins relies on Secant Star but significantly Ruby Walsh has elected to ride Advisor, while Soldatino may be best of the home team.
Carlito Brigante though will like the ground and could thrive in a struggle which is usually what wins out in this race.
Elliott was an accomplished amateur during his riding career, some of which was spent working with Martin Pipe, so he will be keen to capture the conditional hurdle named after the former champion trainer.
Meath All Star is his representative and Elliott was forced to run the horse at Wincanton last Friday to get a penalty and conpensate for the 5lbs drop he had received before the race by the English handicapper. The horse duly did win, although in a less than straight-forward manner for Keith Donoghue who keeps the ride today.
This afternoon’s race has been the plan all season for Meath All Star, however, and it could be worth persevering with him.
Willie Mullins runs four in the Grade One Albert Bartlett Hurdle with Walsh due to team up with Quel Esprit who only made it to the second hurdle in Wednesday’s Neptune.
Fionnegas was runner-up to Dunguib last month but the novice hurdles this week have largely belonged to the home team. Tell Massini has a defeat of Reve Di Sivola to his credit, but his trainer, Tom George, is afraid of the ground.
It may be value to go an unusual route here with last year’s Foxhunters winner Cappa Bleu whose novice chase campaign petered out badly this season. Evan Williams switched him back to hurdles last time out and immediately nominated this race as a target.
Roulez Cool looks a solution to this year’s Foxhunters, while off a low-weight Fighting Chance could have just that in the Grand Annual.
The 28-runner Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle is typically competitive but there could be some each way value to be had in Santa’s Son who has his first run over hurdles for a long time and will relish the ground conditions.
Brian O'Connor's Festival Tips
1.30: Carlito Brigante (Nap)
2.05: Santa’s Son
2.40: Cappa Bleu
3.20: Kauto Star
4.00: Roulez Cool
4.40: Meath All Star
5.15: Fighting Chance (Double)
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