Tag Archive for: Cheltenham Festival

Rasen runner Queens Gamble aiming to book Festival ticket

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Oliver Sherwood hopes it will be third time lucky as leading Champion Bumper hope Queens Gamble continues her education at Market Rasen on Tuesday.

The five-year-old, who has already won both her races in impressive style at Cheltenham, will look to return to the Prestbury Park track on March 15 as the top British challenger in the extended two-mile contest.

With Market Rasen forced to abandon her Festival prep-race target twice because of frost, Sherwood is hoping the Listed Alan Swinbank Mares’ Open National Hunt Flat Race will finally be staged.

“Third time lucky – hopefully it is going to be on,” said Sherwood. “Market Rasen have been superb in the build-up, keeping in touch with us and obviously they want us there.”

Queens Gamble opened her account last April, beating the well-regarded Mullenbeg by 10 lengths in a mares’ bumper at Cheltenham before scorching to an eight-length success over Bonttay and 14 other rivals in Listed event back at that track in November.

Sherwood is hoping to learn more about her when she faces 11 rivals this time.

“I’m very happy with her – she hasn’t missed a beat,” he added. “With any horse, any trainer will tell you that when you have abandonments and rescheduled races, you have to build her up and drop her back down and then build her up again.

“With certain horses it is difficult, but with her it hasn’t been that difficult, other than trying to get her to the boil two or three times.

“She is a very easy horse to train and doesn’t take a lot of work, so I’m very happy with her build-up. The ground will be ideal, so it is all positives at the moment.”

On a right-handed track, which is much sharper than she has faced at Prestbury Park, Queens Gamble will also concede 4lb to a field that includes five previous bumper winners.

Sherwood said: “There are slightly less runners than there were originally, but I respect every horse.

“I’ve been at it long enough to know nothing is a gimme in this game and obviously there are plenty of horses in there with really good chances. She has a got a little penalty, which is understandable.

Oliver Sherwood heads to Market Rasen on Tuesda
Oliver Sherwood heads to Market Rasen on Tuesday (Simon Cooper/PA)

“But she is a big mare and the most intriguing thing for me is that it is a different track and a different way round, different course and much sharper than Cheltenham.

“It wouldn’t possibly play to her strengths. It is a long journey up from Lambourn and she has had only two races, so it is all part of her education and I’m looking forward to seeing that.

“We said we would stick to the original plan that if she went and won at Cheltenham in November, we’d stay to bumpers this year. She has only just turned five, so I’m really looking forward to next season and going hurdling with her.”

Scudamore happy to tackle ‘vastly impressive’ Galopin with Ahoy Senor

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Peter Scudamore admits he was “vastly impressed” by Galopin Des Champs’ success at Leopardstown on Saturday, yet says the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup is not a formality for Willie Mullins’ star chaser.

The Audrey Turley-owned seven-year-old won his fifth chase in six starts, powering to an eight-length victory over Stattler in the three-mile Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup and cemented his place at the top of the betting for the English equivalent on March 17.

Eight-time champion jockey Scudamore, assistant and partner to Lucinda Russell who trains Gold Cup contender Ahoy Senor, feels it will be a competitive renewal this year and far from a Mullins benefit.

“I’d be very pleased if he was mine,” Scudamore said of Galopin Des Champs. “He has done it very well. But you can’t be afraid of one horse.

“When you look at the whole thing (Cheltenham), you can’t see any absolute certainties.

“You can be wrong, but the major races look like they are races at the moment. It is a race, the Gold Cup – it is not going to be a gallop round at the moment.”

Galopin Des Champs is now as short as 5-4 to win the extended three-and-a-quarter-mile event, a trip he has yet to tackle.

Winner of the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle at the Festival in 2021, he fell when favourite for the Turners’ Novices’ Chase on his return to Prestbury Park last March.

He has subsequently captured three consecutive Grade One chases in Ireland and has looked better with experience.

Of his latest win, Scudamore added: “He settled and travelled well, so I was vastly impressed.”

However, Scudamore insists the British challenge for the Gold Cup should not be overlooked.

“The one I think who is rather forgotten is Bravemansgame, because his form looks as good as anything,” said Scudamore of the Paul Nicholls-trained King George VI Chase winner.

Ahoy Senor heads to the Gold Cup with hope
Ahoy Senor heads to the Gold Cup with hope (David Davies/PA)

“I think it is a good Gold Cup. When you are stood outside sometimes, you can look at the race and say it looks bad, but when you are involved with them, you realise they are good.”

Ahoy Senor, who was fifth to Bravemansgame at Kempton on Boxing Day before bouncing back to defeat Sounds Russian in the Grade Two Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham, is a best-priced 12-1 shot for the Gold Cup and will head straight there.

Scudamore added: “Ahoy is fine. He came out of his race really well. He hasn’t really started working too much, he’s just been hacking about at the moment and we’ll build up again from there. I feel we go with hope.”

Vaucelet likely to spearhead David Christie’s Cheltenham hopes

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Vaucelet appears to be David Christie’s Cheltenham Festival number one as the handler begins to piece together his plans for the spring festivals.

The Derrylin-based trainer has a strong band of hunter chasers at his disposal and many thought exciting six-year-old Ferns Lock could be the horse to go one better than Winged Leader’s second in the St. James’s Place Hunters’ Chase judged on his 20-length beating of Billaway at Thurles.

But Christie is in no rush to over face Ferns Lock at this stage of his career and will look to his Down Royal scorer to lead the Cheltenham charge, with Vaucelet the bookmakers  for the amateur riders’ contest.

“All along he has been the number one horse to be going (to Cheltenham) with,” said Christie.

Punchestown Festival – Day Four
Vaucelet (right) finishing second to Billaway in the Irish Daily Star Champion Hunters Chase at the Punchestown Festival in 2022 (Brian Lawless/PA)

“He’s a lot stronger this year – he was a bit on the weak side last year. You don’t generally get deep ground at Cheltenham and he’s a horse that likes spring ground.

“The extra few furlongs up the hill at Cheltenham takes a lot of getting and he’s a horse who really comes into his element once he passes three miles. He has a lovely relaxed way of racing and allows himself to stay really well.”

He went on: “I sort of promised myself I wouldn’t run him on heavy winter ground, but it turned out not too bad at Down Royal and I was delighted with him.

“Down Royal is a little bit like Thurles and it can turn into a wee bit of a sprint which doesn’t necessarily suit him and bring out the best aspects in him. But Barry (O’Neill) said he couldn’t get him pulled up and he went a long way after the line before he could pull him up.”

He could be joined on the Cheltenham team sheet by last-year’s runner-up Winged Leader, after his successful comeback in a Cragmore point-to-point.

However, there is also the possibility the nine-year-old skips a return to Prestbury Park in favour of the Aintree edition a month later.

“That was a very good effort (at Cragmore) because he had not run since Cheltenham and we had done very little schooling with him,” added Christie.

“He took a knock at Cheltenham and it took quite a long time to get that sorted out and get him in a position where he was fit enough to run in a race.

“I could have run him at Thurles, but the way the race was building up – there was the odd comment about it being a rematch with Billaway and I just thought I would take him out of the spotlight and run him in a point-to-point.

Winged Leader and Barry O’Neill in action at Down Royal
Winged Leader and Barry O’Neill in action at Down Royal (PA)

“He always needs a run and he was very ring rusty, but if you watch the replay Barry never puts a stick on him and I thought he stayed on really well. He will come on a tonne for that.

“He’ll get an entry and then we’ll see whether he goes back to Cheltenham or whether I hold on to him for a hunter chase here and then Aintree.”

Meanwhile one who definitely will not run at Cheltenham is Ferns Lock.

The six-year-old has won his two starts under rules by a combined 32 lengths, but Christie is keen to give him plenty of time to mature and will instead bid for big-race glory closer to home in the Tetratema Cup.

“He is a very exciting horse,” said Christie.

“Thurles would be a sharp three miles and the way he handled himself and jumped was pleasing. He has quite a lot of turn of foot and he’s able to do that two or three times in a race, he’s just a very exciting horse to look forward to that’s for sure.

“He’s a baby of a horse and he’s huge.

“He’ll be entered in the Tetratema, the big hunter chase at Gowran Park which is very prestigious in Ireland. That’s the week before Cheltenham and we’ll just take it from there one race at a time.”

Explaining the reasoning behind skipping the Cheltenham Festival, he added: “He has ability and there is no doubt he could go to Cheltenham.

“But it is a very rough race over there and it could ruin him going there so young and I don’t really see the benefit of that to be honest. There is no doubt he is a Cheltenham type horse, but unless he wins, he could come home and we don’t have a horse at all.

“He’s only six and he’s only run a few times, so we will let him find his feet and where his niche is and then we’ll find out what we do with him – whether we continue hunter chasing or he goes on to do something else.

“I think he’s better than a hunter chaser now never mind in time, but he lacks experience so I won’t be in any panic with him.”

Henderson looks on with interest at impressive State Man

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Nicky Henderson rates State Man a “very serious danger” to Constitution Hill’s Unibet Champion Hurdle challenge.

The Willie Mullins-trained runner accounted for dual Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle by just under five lengths in Sunday’s Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle, prompting Coral to clip him into 3-1 from 4-1.

Henderson’s Constitution Hill remains the 1-4 favourite for the Festival contest though, having won his last three Grade Ones in a canter – landing the Supreme, Fighting Fifth and Christmas Hurdles by a combined 51 lengths.

With connections of Honeysuckle ruling out another Champion Hurdle bid for their star, the long-awaited face-off between that pair is now off the table. But Henderson was impressed with manner of State Man’s victory and believes it is going to be tricky to predict the likely outcome at Cheltenham.

Constitution Hill is a very skinny price for the Champion Hurdle
Constitution Hill is a very skinny price for the Champion Hurdle (John Walton/PA)

He told Unibet: “Constitution Hill is sitting in his box, I didn’t let him see the race, but as far as the Champion Hurdle is concerned, it’s hard to tell really.

“You’ve got to say State Man was impressive and he’s certainly thrown down a very serious challenge to Constitution Hill et al, because there are going to be others – you never know what else could come out of the pack.

“Constitution is well but there’s no doubt State Man is going to be a very serious danger and it just makes for an intriguing Champion Hurdle. We’re all looking forward to it, with fingers crossed.”

Gaelic Warrior has ‘serious engine’ and exciting ambitions at Cheltenham

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Gaelic Warrior has big-race Cheltenham ambitions after running out a comfortable victor of the Festina Lente Charity Liffey Handicap Hurdle at Leopardstown.

The five-year-old – narrowly beaten when heavily-backed at the Festival in March – was the 10-11 favourite after facile successes in both hurdle starts this season, winning two contests by a combined 101 lengths.

Under Paul Townend the Rich Ricci-owned gelding was never any further back than the front group and when asked to quicken when turning for home he galloped clear to prevail under top-weight by three and three-quarter lengths.

“He has a bit of class and he proved it there, to do that in a competitive handicap was very good,” said trainer Willie Mullins.

“Paul tried to get a nice position on the inside and then find a bit of room after the second-last. The horse had plenty in reserve.

Gaelic Warrior clears the last
Gaelic Warrior clears the last (Lorraine O’Sullivan/PA)

“We always thought he had a serious engine and he’s progressing all the time.

“He’s in the Supreme and Ballymore, I’ll have a good chat with Paul later on and see what direction we go with him.

“We’ll see what the fallout of this weekend is and see what we have for different races.

“He looked like a horse that’s still maturing and improving. He looked like a horse that could be a really nice novice chaser as well.

“We’ll see how he finishes out the season, obviously there is Cheltenham and Punchestown to come yet.”

Gordon Elliott’s The Goffer pocketed a valuable prize when winning the Bulmers Leopardstown Handicap Chase.

He was sent off a 10-1 chance in the hands of Davy Russell, who was chasing a double on the card after earlier Grade One success aboard Mighty Potter.

In a large field of 23 The Goffer was allowed to bide his time in mid division, picking his way through rivals around the final bend and over the last fence.

From there he battled into the lead, passing Paul Gilligan’s Glamorgan Duke to cross the line two lengths ahead.

The Goffer (right) alongside third-placed Top Ville Ben
The Goffer (right) alongside third-placed Top Ville Ben (Lorraine O’Sullivan/PA)

“We thought he had a chance on the drying ground,” said Elliott.

“He probably wants a bit further but he jumped great and galloped the whole way to the line, we’re very happy.

“Davy was great on him. I told him to go out and take every chance, don’t leave the paint. In those big handicaps that’s what you have to do.

“We’ll look at all those long-distance races and he could be an Irish National horse.”

Liz Doyle’s Ballybawn Belter returned to Leopardstown to take the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Paddy Mullins Mares Handicap Hurdle.

A bumper winner at the Dublin track last year, the mare has taken a little while to get the hang of hurdling but hit her stride with a convincing two-length success under Simon Torrens at a price of 16-1.

“I’m very pleased. She won her bumper here in similar fashion,” said Doyle.

“It was probably about two furlongs too short for her, but I thought the good gallop would help us.

“She jumps very well now. When she started she was very awkward over her hurdles on her first couple of runs. She was very slow, a bit right and left. It came together on her last couple of runs.

“She pinged the last and I’m thrilled.”

In the Grade Two Coolmore N.H. Sires “Santiago” Irish EBF Mares I.N.H. Flat Race it was Willie and Patrick Mullins who combined to win with Fun Fun Fun.

Fun Fun Fun and Patrick Mullins
Fun Fun Fun and Patrick Mullins (Lorraine O’Sullivan/PA)

As the 9-4 favourite, the five-year-old built on a 10-length maiden victory at Sligo to land the Group Two by nearly the same distance when coming home nine and a half lengths to the good.

“It was a very impressive performance because she had a break since her last run and I didn’t think she had enough done,” said the trainer.

“She looked like she had blown up coming out of the back stretch and she looked in trouble about three furlongs out.

“Patrick said when he pulled her to the outside she got her second wind and she just took off. She looks to be a serious mare.

“She’s entitled to go anywhere she wants now. Do you go to Cheltenham or to the mares’ bumper in Aintree?

“She’s well entitled to go wherever connections decide and I’d dare say Patrick will probably have a fair say in that along with Simon and Isaac (Munir and Souede, owners).”

Mares’ Hurdle or retirement for Honeysuckle, but no Champion Hurdle

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Honeysuckle could have her Cheltenham Festival swansong in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle – with owner Kenny Alexander steering away from the Unibet Champion Hurdle after the mare suffered a second career defeat at Leopardstown on Sunday.

The nine-year-old was eclipsed for the first time in 17 races when only third in the Hatton’s Grace in December and found herself having to be content with place honours again under Rachael Blackmore, as State Man galloped home a clear winner of the Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle.

While both trainer Henry de Bromhead and Alexander were satisfied with their superstar’s effort, they conceded the long-awaited clash with Constitution Hill in the Champion Hurdle now looks unlikely, with the Mares’ Hurdle prize Honeysuckle won in 2020 seemingly now the only option – although even that is not a given at this stage with retirement also in the mix.

Alexander said: “Age catches up with us all – one of the young pretenders has overtaken her and there’s one in England.

“Is she as good as she was? No, she’s not as good as she was. I wouldn’t overreact after her first run, she’s still very, very high class but she’s not quite as good as she was. She is nine now and she ran her heart out, she ran a blinder.

“We will definitely not be taking on Constitution Hill after that, because she is so brave and I would fear what would happen. We’re not running around for place money so it’s up to Henry, if he wants to chuck it now. I’ve always said ‘just get her out now, safe and sound’ and maybe the time has come.

“I know the horse is so brave and Rachael doesn’t muck about, we’d run to win and I’d dread anything happening to her now and I don’t think we can beat Constitution Hill – I’m not sure anything can.

“I thought she ran a blinder, but I’ll leave it to Henry and Rachael, whatever they say will go. I’d love to win another Mares’ and go out in a blaze of glory, but I don’t want anything to happen to her now.”

Honeysuckle, who had won the Irish Champion Hurdle three times previously, was applauded around the parade ring before the race and cheered all the way back to the unsaddling enclosure after the race.

Alexander admitted the reception meant a lot and was philosophical in defeat as the racing journey with his “horse of a lifetime” nears an end.

He said: “You do feel a bit of responsibility not to go to the well too many times, but I will leave it to Henry and Rachael. If they want to go for the Mares’ I’d love to win one more, but I’m not going to make any decision, I will leave it to them.

“We have won so many Grade Ones, she’s the horse of a lifetime – I’m not gutted, why would I be gutted? Gutted is when you get chinned in a bumper with something you spent a lot of money on, I feel gutted then, I don’t feel it today.

“She ran her heart out, got beat by a very good horse, a younger horse and I’m not gutted at all. It’s just a race, we go on.”

Honeysuckle is a dual Champion Hurdle winner
Honeysuckle is a dual Champion Hurdle winner (Nigel French/PA)

De Bromhead felt Honeysuckle had perhaps posted her best performance yet in the Leopardstown heat, even in defeat.

He told Racing TV: “I thought she ran really well, I’m delighted with the run and fair play to the winner. He won it well and that was it.

“I’d say she’s probably run to a higher standard (this year) possibly, I don’t know. The form people and all the gurus will work that out, but I thought she ran really well and we were happy with her.

“We know all about her, we don’t have to say anything about her courage and her attitude. She was brilliant all the way to the line.”

Honeysuckle got the better of Benie Des Dieux in an epic 2020 Mares' Hurdle (
Honeysuckle got the better of Benie Des Dieux in an epic 2020 Mares’ Hurdle (Alan Crowhurst/PA)

While initially unsure of future plans, De Bromhead later indicated the Mares’ Hurdle could be the best assignment, although he underlined plans were far from definite.

Speaking to ITV Racing, he said: “I don’t think now is the time to be making any decisions. It’s not up to me, but I wouldn’t be running her in the Champion Hurdle, if we were to run again I’d run in the Mares’ Hurdle. I wouldn’t like to force it.”

Coral pushed Honeysuckle out to 8-1 for the Champion Hurdle, but go 7-2 about her for the Mares’ Hurdle.

Il Etait Temps times it right, as Facile Vega disappoints

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Il Etait Temps was a shock winner as Facile Vega finished last of all in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Both horses are trained by Willie Mullins, but it was Facile Vega who was widely expected to triumph as the 4-9 favourite.

He faded quickly out of it after turning for home, however, whereas his stablemate was able to accelerate under Danny Mullins to stun onlookers with a nine-and-a-half-length success at 14-1.

There had been drama earlier on, too, when one-time Derby favourite High Definition parted company with JJ Slevin.

Mullins said: “They went a mad pace in front and it cost the favourite, I think.

We’ll probably just have to ride him like a racehorse rather than a machine the next time

“Joseph’s (O’Brien) horse (High Definition) wasn’t able to jump at that pace and he paid the penalty.

“I was worried when I saw the pace going past the winning post first time, I said they can’t keep this up.

“Then they jumped the two hurdles down the side and going around by the reservoir I turned to David Casey and said ‘these two are going to break each other’s heart’.

“High Definition lost his rider and I thought Paul (Townend) could get a breather into our fella but he didn’t get a breather.

“That was what I was worried about here the last day, that he took off going to that hurdle and used himself up.

“We’ll probably just have to ride him like a racehorse rather than a machine the next time because that’s what Paul did today, he rode him like a machine rather than a racehorse.

“We’ll change tactics on him the next day and hopefully he’ll be back to what he is.

“Not taking away from the winner, he’s a very good horse. He’s just got to get his jumping right, he made a mistake at the first again today. He’s a Grade One horse.

“I’ve always thought a lot of him, but he just has to get his jumping right. He got a very cute ride from Danny as well.

“He knew what was going to happen and he just popped him in behind and said ‘I’ll let the two in front have their battle and see if we can pick up the pieces afterwards’ and he surely did.

“They just went too fast in front, the pace was wrong, and Danny had his fractions right.”

Il Etait Temps
Il Etait Temps (PA)

Adding more on Facile Vega, Mullins said: “We’ll go to Cheltenham. High Definition’s jumping was always suspect and I think Paul didn’t want him in front of him.

“You saw what happened with Lossiemouth yesterday and Paul just had that in the back of his mind going out today.

“All our horses are well entered up and Il Etait Temps will be in the Ballymore as well.”

State Man too strong for Honeysuckle in Irish Champion

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State Man strode to a decisive victory over the gallant Honeysuckle in the Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown.

The 6-5 favourite after five successive victories over hurdles so far, the Willie Mullins-trained chestnut travelled at the head of the field throughout under Paul Townend.

Honeysuckle galloped in his slipstream until the closing stages, where she was unable to follow as State Man powered on off the bend and pulled away to cross the line four and three-quarter lengths ahead.

“Paul surprised me when he came into the parade ring and I asked him what he was going to do and he said he was going to make it,” said Mullins.

“He didn’t see much to make it in the race so I said ‘OK, do that’. It worked out, the horse is not used to being in front, but he jumped well enough in front and Paul thought he was a bit idle in front as well.

Paul Townend celebrates with State Man
Paul Townend celebrates with State Man (Lorraine O’Sullivan/PA)

“He did everything right and you couldn’t ask any more.”

When asked about the improvement in his jumping he added: “A lot of people forget that he won the County Hurdle and you don’t win that with sloppy jumping.

“In Punchestown it might have been a slow race and when it was slow he just took his time.

“When he has to be sharp he’s well able to jump very quickly. He jumped like a Champion Hurdler, I thought, all the way down the back.

“Paul asked some big questions and he came up every time. I was very happy.

“It’s nice to have a horse like him and fingers crossed that he stays right.”

Just behind Honeysuckle in third was the winner’s stablemate Vauban, and Mullins added: “I was very pleased with how Vauban finished off his race.

“He made a mistake at the first and he was a bit giddy before the race in the parade ring and didn’t like all that.

“He’s still learning and he’ll improve away. It might be next year before he’ll be the horse we think he is.”

Gentleman De Mee shocks hotpot stablemate Blue Lord

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Gentleman De Mee reversed the form with Blue Lord to land the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase at Leopardstown.

The JP McManus-owned seven-year-old was a 15-2 shot in the Grade One for Willie Mullins and Danny Mullins, who was deputising for the injured Mark Walsh after he was stood down following a fall in the opening race.

Blue Lord was the 1-4 favourite after trouncing stablemate Gentleman De Mee by 41 lengths when the pair last met in the Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase after Christmas – but this time it was the latter who triumphed by an easy seven lengths.

Mullins said: “I was disappointed with Blue Lord. It’s fantastic for Gentleman De Mee and great for Danny. I thought Danny was very brave on him and he was asking him everywhere the whole way down the back.

“The horse was loving it and responding to him. I thought it was a terrific performance. I was very happy with his last bit of work the other morning, I thought it was as good a gallop as I’ve ever seen him do.

“Things didn’t go right for him at Christmas, possibly a little bit of drier ground here played to his strengths rather than Blue Lord’s.

“Blue Lord had a very hard race at Christmas and Paul (Townend) thought that might have had an effect, but I think maybe it was just the change of ground.

“He was a very good novice but was just disappointing at Christmas. We forget about horses very quickly in this game. He proved today that he’s still there.”

Mighty Potter far too good at Leopardstown

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Mighty Potter was a straightforward winner of the Ladbrokes Novice Chase at Leopardstown for Gordon Elliott and Davy Russell.

The even-money favourite raced near the head of the field of six throughout and was easily able to pull clear when asked around the final bend.

Comfortably ahead at the last fence, the six-year-old only pulled further away to prevail by eight and a half lengths from Adamantly Chosen.

In doing so he backed up his Grade One victory in the Drinmore Chase and gave Russell a first top-level triumph since he called a temporary halt to his retirement.

Mighty Potter came home a clear winner
Mighty Potter came home a clear winner (Lorraine O’Sullivan/PA)

Elliott said: “He’s a good horse and we’ve got a few nice novice chasers.

“Jack (Kennedy) was full of confidence after the last day. We watched the race together and he was happy that Davy let him roll on when he did.

“The further he goes, he drops his head, gets low and gallops.

“I was a bit nervous. I thought we’d win the first but we were a bit unlucky, got a bit far back.

“A few of our big shots yesterday didn’t run and he was kind of our first real one that had to win.

“He’s settling better now, before he was keen. I love that when he gets to the front he spits it out and from the last to the line he drops his head and gallops.”

Coral make Mighty Potter the 6-4 favourite for the Turners Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and Elliott confirmed that will be the target – with Kennedy hopefully recovered from his broken leg and available to ride.

The trainer said: “The Turners is definitely where he’s going and hopefully this man beside me (Kennedy) gets the OK to be back riding him. If he doesn’t Davy is there, but we’re hoping this man is back.”

Mighty Potter was pulled up in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at last year’s Festival, but Elliott has no fears about returning to Prestbury Park.

He added: “He’s a stronger horse now. He left his hind legs in a hurdle that day and Jack didn’t knock him around.

“We probably should have pulled him up straight away, but he said he’d jump another hurdle or two to get his confidence.”

Elliott has another star novice in Gerri Colombe
Elliott has another star novice in Gerri Colombe (Steven Paston/PA)

Mighty Potter was a second Grade One winner of the weekend for Elliott, with Gerri Colombe having landed the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase over a similar trip at Sandown on Saturday.

The duo will not be clashing in the Turners though, with Gerri Colombe favourite for the three-mile Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.

Elliott said: “He’s (Mighty Potter) probably a quicker horse than Gerri Colombe, but Gerri’s not bad either.

“I thought he was brilliant yesterday. He’s like a child’s pony at home, he’s so laid back.

“He was foot perfect, except for one, and we’ll go straight for the Brown Advisory now with him. I think the race will be made for him.”

Russell added that the prospect of riding Mighty Potter was instrumental in persuading him to return to the saddle, saying: “It’s a relief to have won on him.

“It was days like this that brought me back.

“I’m very grateful to all the lads for asking me and to all the owners who have supported me – it’s fantastic.”