Rescheduled Ladbrokes Champion Chase remains the plan for Gerri Colombe says Gordon Elliott
An extra week will not scupper Gordon Elliott's plans for Gerri Colombe, with the rearranged Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal remaining the aim for the Cheltenham Gold Cup second favourite.
A waterlogged track forced Down Royal to postpone the first Grade 1 of the season on Saturday but it has not been lost, just delayed for seven days, and Elliott still intends to have at least two runners in the event.
The first big staying chase of the new season went to Ireland thanks to Gentlemangame's gutsy victory in the Charlie Hall Chase, but there are still three Irish-trained horses shorter than him in the ante-post market for the Gold Cup and among them is Gerri Colombe.
The Mildmay Novices' Chase winner is generally 6-1 second favourite behind the defending champion Galopin Des Champs, while Bravemansgame was nudged out to 14-1 (from 12) by bet365 following his Wetherby defeat.
Charlie Hall first and second Gentlemansgame (left) and Bravemansgame (right) feature in the Gold Cup betting
Elliott said: "Gerri Colombe is in great form and the plan remains Down Royal for him. I would've loved the meeting to have gone ahead as planned on Saturday, but the officials had to make a call on it and that's what they did.
"It doesn't change my plans. He'll head to Down Royal, then probably on to Christmas before we hopefully get to Cheltenham in March. That's the way I'm thinking at the moment anyway.
"I just feel Down Royal is the right place for him to start and I'm looking forward to it."
When asked what he might run along with Gerri Colombe, Elliott said: "I'll definitely run Conflated and maybe something else as well, but I haven't fully made up my mind yet on that. I'll definitely have two, maybe even three runners in the race."
The only other trainer who had entries in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase was Henry de Bromhead, and he could also still run last year's winner Envoi Allen, formerly trained by Elliott, and the 2021 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Minella Indo, who returned to winning ways at Punchestown on his reappearance last month.
Down Royal also remains the plan for Grade 1-winning novice hurdler Irish Point, who will run in Friday's Grade 2 Bottlegreen Hurdle, while Elliott expects to have two runners in the Grade 2 racingtv.com/freetrial Chase, the race which follows the Ladbrokes Champion Chase on Saturday.
Elliott said: "I'd say I'll run two in the chase for second-season novices, maybe Ash Tree Meadow and Fil Dor. I hope to have plenty of runners over the two days and the horses are running well so we're looking forward to next week."
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