Gordon Elliott confident reformed character Conflated can play in Gold Cup

While Gordon Elliott may still remain somewhat in the shadow of Willie Mullins, his determination to one day step into the light and be crowned the leading trainer remains just as strong now as ever it did.

Though the perennial champion has continued to garner most of the headlines, the Cullentra House trainer has been rallying the troops with the trip to Cheltenham in mind.

Last weekend brought two more Grade Ones to the Co Meath trainer’s table, and with Teahupoo having advertised his wares in the Galmoy a week earlier, and Delta Work putting the finishing touches on his Cross-Country preparation, things are ticking along quite sweetly.

“They’re coming together nicely now, and we’re happy,” said Elliott, greeting the Jockey Club to his base on Tuesday morning. “We mightn’t be as strong numbers-wise this year, but we think we have a nice team going over.

“Most of them have had their last runs now, so we’re just picking and choosing where they’re going to go now. A lot of them might be going under the radar, but we’re excited.” 

In Gerri Colombe (Brown Advisory Novice Chase), Delta Work (Cross Country Chase), Mighty Potter (Turners Novice Chase), and Teahupoo (Stayers’ Hurdle), he is responsible for four favourites in the long-odds list, but the biggest prize of all, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, is also within his sights.

“Conflated can run well fresh, and he’ll be going there fresh and well,” he said. “I probably ran him in the wrong race (Ryanair Chase) last year, but the way he ran in Aintree and the way he ran in Leopardstown the last day, I think the race will suit him.” 

Elliott is acutely aware that Galopin Des Champs laid down a marker by winning the Irish Gold Cup but using that race as a guide has given him ground for optimism.

“I thought, when you look at the rerun, you’d have to actually say Galopin Des Champs was impressive. Paul (Townend) had him asleep and it probably took him a bit to wake him up, but when he got there, he galloped from the last to the line well. I wouldn’t mind having him, to be honest.

“However, the fact Fury Road led over the last would give me a lot of hope that Conflated could run a good race. Obviously Galopin Des Champs sets the standard and is the horse we all have to beat, but I think we’re in the mix.

“Conflated is a good horse. He’s only settled down in the last year. He was a bit of a headcase, but he’s really settled now and he’s more professional. You can ride a race on him now whereas before you were always trying to settle him and the race was nearly over before you could put him into it. I think it’s an open Gold Cup and I think he’s got a chance. The stiffer track and longer trip should suit him better — it looks to me like he’s made for it.” 

Folly to look too far ahead in this game, but in Gerri Colombe, Elliott has a horse who could be tailor-made for the Gold Cup in 12 months. Winner of the Grade One Scilly Isles Novice Chase in Sandown on Saturday, he will bid to give his trainer a first win in the Brown Advisory Novice Chase.

Allaying concerns that he might be best on soft ground, Elliott said: “Over two and a half miles, softer ground would suit, but he’s not a mudlark. He’s not as slow as you think. He’s just so relaxed. I’d say over three miles in the Brown Advisory, he’ll be okay.

“The further he goes the better he’ll be. He’s a very unassuming horse, he doesn’t do anything exciting at home, but he knows how to win. When the horse passed him the other day in Sandown, you could just see him dropping his head (and battling). It’s a great thing to see in a horse.

“He’s a big, old-fashioned chaser. Colin Bowe said, when he had him, that he didn’t do anything fancy at home, but when you took him away it was always there for you.

“He came back great (from Sandown), he didn’t lose much weight, and he looks great. He’ll go straight to Cheltenham.” 

Mighty Potter is another young horse making waves for the team. Impressive in winning the Grade One Ladbrokes Novice Chase on Sunday last, he will remain at intermediates trip this season and thus the Turners Novices' Chase will be the race in which he will try to erase the memory of last year’s disappointing display in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

“He jumped great the other day. It’s only when you look at the replay, you realise how good he was. He’s probably relaxing more with racing and was only getting into top gear when the race was over.

“He’s a big horse now but he was every bit as big last year — and gangly. He’s probably not the finished article at the moment. With another summer’s grass, he’s going to be a lot stronger. If you look at the rerun of the Supreme last year, he just never got into a rhythm. I think he landed on top of the third or fourth hurdle, and it was race over then.

“It wouldn’t frighten me to bring him back to two miles if I had to, but at the moment we’re going for the middle-distance race. If Gerri was going for that race, he might come back for the Arkle. He showed last year in Punchestown, when winning over two miles, that he’s not a slow horse.” 

So, how does he stack up to the stable’s former novices at this stage of his career?

“Envoi Allen was the real thing, and Samcro and Don Cossack … we’ve had a few nice ones, but he could be bang up there with them. He’s got so much talent that everything is almost too easy for him at home. I’d say he learned an awful lot from Fairyhouse (winning the Drinmore). To make a few mistakes and to be back on the bridle a stride later, he looks good.” 

Like Mighty Potter, Teahupoo wasn’t seen to best effect at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, but Elliott is comfortable writing that off and looking forward to the return, for the Stayers’ Hurdle.

“He is a young horse, on the way up, and he’s there with a chance. He just got taken off his feet over two miles last year (in the Champion Hurdle). We were just trying to make him into a quicker horse than he is. He looks like he’s found his niche over those longer trips.

“If you listen to the likes of Barry Geraghty and Ruby Walsh talking, over the years, about the Stayers’ Hurdle horses, they say they have to be behind the bridle and relaxed. And that’s the way he is. Nothing fazes him. For me it’s probably the most open division of all the championship races at Cheltenham this season.” 

Delta Work was the villain in the piece when he denied stablemate Tiger Roll a winning send-off in the Cross Country Chase at last year’s meeting, but he will be celebrated almost unanimously if he follows up. A recent third-place finish at the course has put him firmly on course for his return.

“I was happy with him the last day. He gave the winner 16lbs and the second 18lbs, so off level weights,  he looks like he’s thrown in. I’m glad I ran him in that race because he’d only had one run over the fences, and he was a bit big over a few of them. There’s plenty of improvement in him off that run.”