There will be a spring in the step as the team at Cullentra pulled of a magnificent eleven wins up in Down Royal at the rescheduled festival last Friday and Saturday
Any punter following the Elliott’s yard should have a few extra euro or sterling in the wallet.

The Ladbrokes Champion Chase may have only had four horses in the line up but it was as a good race with as good a finish you might see all year.

Conflated looked to have the edge turning for home and forced the stable yard young pretender Gerri Colombe to pull inside as Blackmore’s Envoi Allen charge came from the back and looked to win.

However, Jack Kennedy got a great turn of foot from Geri Colombe to win by a neck from Envoi Allen, for the odds on favourite at, 4/7. Conflated finished just a over a length behind
having put it up to the others. The crowd had plenty to cheer home in an exciting finish.

It was a tough ride for Kennedy as stable yard  Conflated kept jumping  to the left where Gerri Colombe was positioned for a good part of the race. Jack Kennedy’s switch  to the inside  up the home straight  made the difference in an exciting finish. Gerri Colombe will have learnt a lot on the day running in top company. All going well he could be heading to the Gold Cup but will have another day out before then.

The Cullentra trainer rattled off a superb eleven wins across the two days of racing at Down Royal to lay down an early marker to main rival Willie Mullins as the jumps season fully got into swing.

Congratulations must go to the young seven pound  claimer, Carl Millar,  who gave Magic Tricks a fine ride in the 2 mile 1 furlong in the third race. the Haslem Hotel Handicap Hurdle, a listed race. It was his first win for the Blanchardstown native who has always had a passion for ponies and horses.

He is one to watch out for in the future with his 7 lb. claim.

Bryan Cooper (BC), who was number one jockey to Elliott, and is backing Elliott to get closer in the champion trainers’ title this year to dominant Mullins and what he thinks the trainer is doing differently this year in order to put up a better fight.

Gordon Elliott will be keen to put up a fight to Willie Mullins this year, “Cooper was speaking to Boylesports, who offer the latest horse racing odds, said,

BC:” I think he is doing things differently this season, a few of their winter horses have taken a run whereas previously they might have been waiting at this time of year so maybe he is attacking it in a different way.

Gordon has spent a lot of money on some point to point horses, so I will be very interested to see where they go.

I am very interested to see where Gerri Colombe goes on soft ground, he is probably Gordon’s standout horse. I am also keen to see where Irish Point goes, he won at Aintree and now at Down Royal and if they continue to go chasing with him, he could rank highly.

Teahupoo as well, he has paid his way. Gordon has some money spinners there and he is always interesting to follow in the big field handicaps. He throws a lot of firepower at them and then the Paddy Power Chase at Christmas time and the Irish Grand National too. He’s very determined on putting it up to Willie as best as he can.
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“Bryan Cooper was speaking to Boylesports, who offer the latest horse racing odds“

Next weekend;

Navan Racecourse is running it’s first racing festival as it combines two of it’s major events on their racing calendar.

On Saturday the Navan Racing Festival kicks of, featuring the Bar One Racing Fortria Chase (Grade 2) and the Railway Bar Lismullen Hurdle (Grade 2).
On Sunday the festival features the Bar One Racing Troytown Chase and the John Lynch Carpets & Flooring Monksfield Novice Hurdle (Grade 3).

Early Bird General Admission Tickets available, see;  www. navanracecourse.ie