Tag Archive for: Gerri Colombe

Gerri Colombe bounces back with Mildmay glory

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Gerri Colombe put a narrow Cheltenham Festival reverse behind him with a dominant victory in the Air Charter Service Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree under Davy Russell.

The Gordon Elliott-trained seven-year-old won two bumpers, two novices hurdles and his first three starts over fences, ensuring he was a hot favourite to maintain his unbeaten record in last month’s Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase in the Cotswolds.

Gerri Colombe came off second-best in a titanic tussle with The Real Whacker at Cheltenham, going down by a short head, and was a 4-6 shot to reward those who kept the faith.

And anyone who took the cramped odds will have had few concerns for the duration of the extended three-mile contest, with Elliott’s charge travelling as smooth as silk for much of the way and moving ominously into the slipstream of Galia Des Liteaux early in the home straight.

Once asked to go about his business, Gerri Colombe readily extended clear and Russell saluted the crowd as his mount passed the post with seven and a half lengths in hand over the Paul Nicholls-trained Complete Unknown.

It was a notable success for the veteran rider, who called time on his glittering career in December only to return in the new year to fill in for the sidelined Jack Kennedy.

Russell endured a frustrating week at Cheltenham, standing himself down before he was due to take the ride on Elliott’s Conflated in the Gold Cup, but thrust himself back into the big-race spotlight aboard the exciting Gerri Colombe, who looks a Gold Cup horse in the making.

Of going on to Aintree, Russell said: “Gordon was the instigator. I was finished and he wasn’t happy with me finishing the way I finished. I was done, I was finished – again! And he wasn’t happy with the way the ending was and he said he wanted me to ride here.

“That’s great. All your life you’re trying to please trainers and owners, put yourself out there and let them know you’re the person for the job.

“It’s a tough sport, there are no pats on the back at all – you’re up, you’re down, you’re in, you’re out. You never get a pat on the back, you just have to keep moving on to the next day. When someone as high-profile as Gordon gives you a pat on the back or kick in the backside that you need, that’s the part of your career you have you make it work.

“I’m lucky that for the last couple of years Gordon has been behind me all the way, and his huge team of staff.”

Davy Russell celebrates Aintree success
Davy Russell celebrates Aintree success (Mike Egerton/PA)

Elliott was delighted to gain compensation for the Gerri Colombe’s Cheltenham defeat.

He said: “He’s a good horse. We were disappointed after Cheltenham. We felt he was the best horse in the race and that proved it today.

“He’s a horse to be excited about next year.”

Owner Brian Acheson felt The Real Whacker was a deserved victor last month, but is keen to see what the future holds for Gerri Colombe,

Gerri Colombe was a winner in Brian Acheson's Robcour colours
Gerri Colombe was a winner in Brian Acheson’s Robcour colours (Tim Goode/PA)

He said: “The one thing I will say, on the day at Cheltenham I felt the best horse won on the day, he jumped better than us and Sam (Twiston-Davies) got a great tune out of him.

“He’s come back and won today, let’s see where he goes from there.

“In fairness to Jordan (Gainford, jockey) at Cheltenham, he was possibly a bit intimidated by the new whip rules. He’s Jordan’s ride if Jack isn’t there and Davy retires. but I just think it possibly caught him out, but on the day at Cheltenham the best horse won, The Real Whacker is a very good horse.

“Every day is a learning day with him, he’s won eight out of nine now. I read somewhere today someone said he was unreliable, well I wouldn’t mind a few more unreliable types.

“The ground today was the same as Sandown, he doesn’t need it very soft.”

Nicholls was more than satisfied with Complete Unknown and expects him to be a stayer next term.

He said: “The track didn’t suit us that well and he was a bit flat out. But I loved the way he galloped all the way to the line. Races like the Welsh National and the Hennessy should be just the job for him next season.”

‘Fresh and well’ Conflated poised to make his mark in Gold Cup

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Gordon Elliott is confident Conflated is “in the mix” for the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup after deciding against bidding for back-to-back victories in Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown last weekend.

The nine-year-old was a surprise winner of the Dublin Racing Festival feature 12 months ago, but proved that was no fluke by running well before falling in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham before pushing Clan Des Obeaux close in the Aintree Bowl.

Following a promising comeback run at Down Royal in the autumn, Conflated dominated Leopardstown’s Savills Chase over the Christmas period, but Elliott elected to keep his powder dry for the blue riband in the Cotswolds next month.

Speaking at a press event at his County Meath yard on Tuesday morning, the Cullentra handler admitted he was heartened to see Fury Road – third behind Conflated over the festive period – finish a similar distance behind Cheltenham Gold Cup favourite Galopin Des Champs when third again on Saturday.

“We decided not to run him in the Irish Gold Cup and he’ll go to Cheltenham fresh and well,” he said.

“I suppose the fact that Fury Road led over the last the other day would give me hope that Conflated could run a good race in Cheltenham.

“I probably ran him in the wrong race last year going for the Ryanair. The way he ran in Aintree last season and the way he ran in Leopardstown the last day, I think the Gold Cup will suit him.”

The Willie Mullins-trained Galopin Des Champs strengthened his position at the head of the Gold Cup market with an eight-length verdict at Leopardstown – and while not everyone was blown away by the performance, Elliott expects him to prove a tough nut to crack.

Gordon Elliott at his yard on Tuesday morning
Gordon Elliott at his yard on Tuesday morning (Niall Carson/PA)

He added: “Galopin Des Champs sets the standard and he’s the horse we all have to beat, but I think we’re in the mix.

“When you look at the re-run, I thought Galopin Des Champs was probably more impressive than when you watched it the first time. Paul (Townend) had him asleep and it probably took him a bit to wake him up, but he galloped from the last to the line well.

“I just worry about my own horse, but I wouldn’t mind having him!”

Conflated will be part of another formidable team Elliott is preparing to send to Prestbury Park in less than five weeks’ time, with his novice chasing squad particularly strong.

He houses the ante-post favourite for the three-mile Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase in Saturday’s Scilly Isles victor Gerri Colombe, while Mighty Potter is cramped odds for the Turners’ Novices’ Chase after bagging his fourth Grade One win at Leopardstown on Sunday.

Gerri Colombe parading
Gerri Colombe parading (Niall Carson/PA)

“Over two and a half miles softer ground would suit Gerri Colombe, but he’s not a mud lark and is not as slow as you’d think – he’s just so relaxed,” said Elliott.

“I’d say over three miles plus in the Brown Advisory he’ll be fine on better ground and I think the further he goes the better he’ll be.

“He’s a very unassuming horse who doesn’t do anything exciting at home, but he knows how to win.

“He’s so relaxed and I think the Brown Advisory is made for him.

“Mighty Potter is probably relaxing more with racing. He jumped great the other day and it was only when you watch the re-run of the race that you realise how good he was,” said Elliott.

“He’s an unassuming type of horse and it wouldn’t worry me to come back to two miles, but at the moment we’re going for the middle-distance race.

“Envoi Allen was the real thing and there was Samcro and Don Cossack. We’ve had a few nice novice chasers, but I’d say he could be bang up there.”

Teahupoo is a major hope for the Elliott team in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle after inflicting a first career defeat on Honeysuckle in the Hatton’s Grace at Fairyhouse before successfully stepping up to three miles in the Galmoy at Gowran.

The six-year-old was bitterly disappointing when quietly fancied for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham last season, but Elliott is putting that performance down to the trip rather than the track.

Teahupoo is a leading contenders for the Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham
Teahupoo is a leading contenders for the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham (Niall Carson/PA)

He added: “I’d say he just got took off his feet over two miles last year. He’s not a big, heavy horse and I don’t see why over three miles he shouldn’t be OK.

“It’s not going to be quick ground and if you listen to likes of Barry Geraghty and Ruby Walsh over the years talking about Stayers’ Hurdle horses, they always say they have to race behind the bridle and be relaxed and that is exactly what Teahupoo is – nothing fazes him.”

While Conflated, Gerri Colombe, Mighty Potter and Teahupoo will all head to Cheltenham with solid claims, Elliott appears particularly confident about the chances of Delta Work, who is all set to defend his crown in the Glenfarclas Chase over the cross-country course.

The multiple Grade One winner played the role of pantomime villain last year when denying his dual Grand National and five-time Festival-winning stablemate Tiger Roll, but he will return 12 months on as a red-hot favourite after finishing third under a big weight at the track last month.

Gordon Elliott with Delta Work
Gordon Elliott with Delta Work (Niall Carson/PA)

“I won the race so I didn’t mind, but it would have been the perfect send-off for Tiger Roll to have won last year obviously. It wasn’t to be, but he got a great reception,” said Elliott.

“I was very happy with Delta Work’s run the other day. He was giving the winner and the second a lot of weight and off level weights, it looks like he’s thrown in.”

While Elliott is still finalising running plans for some members of a squad, a few of the pieces are beginning to fall into place.

He added: “Three Card Brag will probably go for the Albert Bartlett along with Favori De Champdou. Cool Survivor ran well the other day and he’ll probably go for the Martin Pipe or he could go for the Albert Bartlett as well.

“Absolute Notions might not be badly handicapped and he can probably go for a handicap more so than a Grade One.

“Unfortunately we couldn’t run American Mike in Leopardstown the other day. He scoped bad after Navan and there was something wrong with him, so we’ve missed a good part of the season.

“I was looking forward to running him the other day, but couldn’t due to personal reasons and it’s hard to find a race for him now.

“He’s entered in a Listed race over two miles at Navan on Sunday, which isn’t ideal, but I kind of need to get a run into him because he can be a fresh horse and I just want to knock the freshness off him.

“Better Days Ahead will go straight to Cheltenham for the Champion Bumper. I’d say the bumper horses in Ireland just mightn’t be as strong as they have been, but my horse is a good horse.

“King Of Kingsfield will run in it as well and Pour Les Filles who won in Leopardstown under Harry Swan, we’ll probably run the three of them.”

Gerri Colombe stays unbeaten with Scilly Isles victory

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Gerri Colombe produced a gutsy performance to land the Virgin Bet Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown.

Gordon Elliott’s Irish raider arrived at the Esher track unbeaten, having won two bumpers, a pair of hurdles and two chases, the last of which came in the Grade One Guinness Faugheen Chase at Limerick over Christmas.

Sent off the 10-11 favourite under Jordan Gainford, the seven-year-old looked to be cruising behind Balco Coastal before taking it up down the back on the final circuit.

However, he got in tight at the last of the Railway fences and briefly lost momentum.

It handed the advantage to Nicky Henderson’s runner and jockey Nico de Boinville kicked for home.

At the Pond Fence, Gerri Colombe still had a bit to do and looked laboured, yet Gainford galvanised him and he responded to his rider’s urging and having gone upsides between the last two fences, a good leap at the last sealed the deal and he strode up the hill to score by a length and three-quarters.

Thunder Rock, who had been patiently ridden at the back of the field throughout much of the two-and-a-half-mile contest, made some late gains to finish third.

“We were delighted. We knew we’d be taking a risk going over two and half miles,” Elliott, who was at Leopardstown, told Racing TV.

“In fairness to the horse, he looked like he was beaten three out, but he stayed galloping really well. It was a good performance, we’re delighted with him.

“We were a bit worried that the ground was not as deep as it usually is, but Jordan went over and walked the track this morning. We knew it wasn’t as soft as ideal, but we knew we had to take our chances, being a Grade One.”

Coral were impressed by the performance and cut Gerri Colombe to 4-1 favourite from 10-1 for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Elliott added: “Before today I was thinking trying to qualify him for the National Hunt Chase. It looks like we are going to be tight for that now, but he looks made for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase doesn’t he? So I would say that’s where we’ll go.”

Owner Brian Acheson said: “He made a little mistake at the last of the Railway fences and he just got a little bit tight, but then Jordan got him back. It is great when you have got a kid like Jordan on as you have huge confidence in the jockey. It is a Grade One and you don’t win them that easily.

“I’d be looking at next season with him and if Gordon doesn’t want to go to Cheltenham I’ve no issue with that. Cheltenham is very hard on novice chasers. Next season he could be a Gold Cup horse.

“This has taken the National Hunt Chase out of the equation and it is the Brown Advisory or nothing. He hasn’t run an awful lot as Gordon had it in his head he could be a Gold Cup horse, but we have to keep him sound.”

Gerri Colombe adds touch of star quality to Scilly Isles

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Gordon Elliott’s decision to split his aces has led to Gerri Colombe sidestepping this weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival in favour of a trip to Sandown for the Virgin Bet Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase.

The seven-year-old is unbeaten in six starts thus far, with a point-to-point success followed by two bumper wins, two triumphs in novice hurdles and two victories over fences.

He struck Grade One gold for the first time in the Faugheen Novice Chase at Limerick over the Christmas period, but is set to encounter considerably quicker conditions in Esher this weekend.

“He’s a nice horse and doesn’t do anything too fancy at home, but everything he’s done we’ve obviously been pleased with on track, so we are looking forward to a good weekend,” said Elliott.

Gerri Colombe could quite easily have remained on home soil and lined up in Sunday’s Ladbrokes Novice Chase at Leopardstown, but Elliott has Mighty Potter lined up for that particular top-level prize and he saw little merit in allowing the pair to lock horns.

He added: “There are no soft Grade Ones. Ireland looks fairly competitive, and the race at Sandown looks a good race as well.

“You’ve got Olly Murphy’s horse (Thunder Rock) and the Paul Nicholls horse (Monmiral) in there and you have to respect them, but we are trying to split our horses up as much as anything.”

Thunder Rock has won seven of his 11 starts under rules for Murphy and was particularly impressive in winning his first two outings over fences in novice handicaps at Uttoxeter and Ascot respectively.

Murphy admitted to being disappointed with the Shirocco gelding’s third-placed finish in the Grade Two Dipper Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day and is hoping he can raise his game.

He said: “He’s in very good form. We’re really looking forward to running him as we’ve had this in the back of our minds for a while.

“I’m really looking forward to Saturday and if he gets into a rhythm then hopefully he’ll run very well.

“He just didn’t jump and travel with the same kind of enthusiasm that we saw in his first two starts over fences at Cheltenham last time.

“Whether he got caught out around the track going a good gallop over the extended two and a half miles, I don’t know, but I know that he is better than that run.”

Nicky Henderson relies on Balco Coastal, having decided not to declare Bold Endeavour.

Balco Coastal and Nico de Boinville impressed at Kempton
Balco Coastal and Nico de Boinville impressed at Kempton (John Walton/PA)

The seven-year-old has had two starts over fences and won a novices’ limited handicap over an extended two and a half miles at Kempton on Boxing Day with a degree of ease last time out.

Henderson said: “He was very impressive at Kempton and he’s more like a Grade One horse than the other one is.

“He was very good and was impressive. He deserves his chance in a race like that. We’ll try him and see how we get on.”

Grade One hurdle winner Monmiral was runner-up to Jonbon on his chasing debut at Warwick for champion trainer Paul Nicholls.

He then chased home The Real Whacker at Cheltenham, finishing a head in front of Thunder Rock in third.

“He has come up against two very smart horses in his first two races over fences,” Nicholls said in his Betfair blog.

“He was far from disgraced behind Jonbon at Warwick and then finished second again at Cheltenham to The Real Whacker, who had the run of the race in front.

“We will make plenty of use of Monmiral who is in good shape, jumps fine and will enjoy the stiff track at Sandown. He has a sound chance.”

Ben Pauling is under no illusions of the task facing Bowtogreatness, who is officially rated 135, some 19lb below Gerri Colombe.

Part-owned by former Premier League manager Harry Redknapp, the seven-year-old was beaten a short head on his seasonal bow at Exeter before placing third behind Complete Unknown at Ffos Las last month.

Bowtogreatness and Kielan Woods know they face a stiff task
Bowtogreatness and Kielan Woods know they face a stiff task (Mike Egerton/PA)

Pauling said: “He has got it all to do on ratings, but I have always liked this horse a lot and I’m at the stage of the season where I don’t want to lose his novice status for a pony race.

“So I’d rather he ran well in Graded races than lose his novice status next year. He will be a novice next year and I think hit the heights I fully expect him to do.

“By all means, if he goes and wins one of these, we’ll be delighted.

“Both times this season he’s needed it. The first time he needed it slightly and the second time I ran him quick after we had a lot of snow and he’d missed a lot of work, and he’s just a big, burly horse who takes a lot of getting fit.

“We go there with our eyes wide open, hoping for a nice performance.”

Gerri Colombe continues progression at Limerick

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Gerri Colombe maintained his unbeaten record with a clearcut victory in the Guinness Faugheen Novice Chase at Limerick.

A winner in the point-to-point sphere a couple of years ago, the six-year-old had since landed two bumpers, two novice hurdles and a beginners chase for Gordon Elliott and was the 4-5 favourite stepping up to Grade One level for Limerick’s St Stephen’s Day feature.

Gerri Colombe was opposed by four rivals, three of which were trained by Willie Mullins, with 6-4 chance Kilcruit seemingly the first string ahead of Adamantly Chosen and Authorized Art.

Kilcruit briefly looked set to make a race of it with the strong-travelling Gerri Colombe early in the home straight, but his effort petered out and in the end it was left for Adamantly Chose to pick up the silver medal – beaten four and a quarter lengths by the decisive winner.

With stable jockey Jack Kennedy in action at Leopardstown and Davy Russell recently retired, Jordan Gainford came in for the plum ride aboard Gerri Colombe and was thrilled to secure his first Irish Grade One success, having been beaten a short head on Farouk D’alene in this race last year.

Gainford, who in October steered Shark Hanlon’s Hewick to glory in the American Grand National, said: “It’s unbelievable and first I want to thank Gordon and Robcour (owners). From the first day I walked into Gordon’s he’s looked after me and he had the confidence to put me up today.

“Last’s year’s defeat was something I didn’t want to happen again and a big thank you to Jack Kennedy too as he told me about him and how to ride him.

“His jumping was brilliant and for him to do what he did today was very good. Plans will be left to Gordon but the one thing he loves is soft ground and he had that today.”

Gordon Elliott trains Gerri Colombe
Gordon Elliott trains Gerri Colombe (David Davies/Jockey Club)

Elliott’s assistant, Ian ‘Busty’ Amond, said: “It’s great for Jordan and with the likes of Davy retiring it opens doors for these lads. They have to step up and did it and he did it, but he had the horse too.

“He loves that ground, Jordan said he was unbelievable to jump and did it well. He is laid back but keeps doing what he is doing and is six from six now.

“It is great for Robcour who put a lot of money into the game so it is important to get days like this.

“He is a right horse going forward, he has got his Grade One win now and would have no bother stepping up to three miles but well see what Gordon thinks.”

Betfair cut Gerri Colombe to 5-1 from 8-1 for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Speaking from Leopardstown, however, Elliott revealed he is considering a different target.

He said: “He just keeps winning. He doesn’t do anything fancy at home but we are lucky to have him.

“We’ll have a look and see where we go next. He might go for the National Hunt Chase if the ground was soft. He wouldn’t want it very quick.

“He was a big baby last year and is a nice horse now.”