Gordon Elliott has a return for the Cheltenham Festival and a shot at the Grand National in mind after Favori De Champdou found a decisive winner of the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase.
The Cullentra House handler has often excelled with his runners in this discipline, with famous Gigginstown House alumni Tiger Roll and Delta Work regularly showing their talent around the twists and turns of the Prestbury Park course.
And after being sent off at 9-1 with the burden of top weight, Jack Kennedy’s man raised his hand to be another top-tier operator in this field for Ryanair supremo Michael O’Leary’s ownership operation.
Elliott said: “We brought him here for the race in December and he fell in the water, but it definitely sweetened his spirits and he jumped great and did everything there. It was good to see him enjoying it.”
“He seems to have found a new life and it’s great to win this race again. It’s one that has been close to us and we’ve won it regularly in the past, so it’s good to win it again.”
“I thought he was in the front early on, but he continued to be great and I wanted Sean Bowen to ride him, but Jack took him off!
“He will return here in March and then focus 100 percent on the Grand National.”
Sam Twiston-Davies will soon return to the Ditcheat jockeys’ roster but proved a thorn in the side of Paul Nicholls as he narrowly brought home Anthony Honeyball’s Jordans Cross
Quebecois in the Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase.
This race has proven to be an excellent guide to the Festival in the past and this third win of the season for Jordans Cross (7-1) secured its ticket back to Prestbury Park for the Jack Richard Novices’ Handicap Chase in March.
Honeyball said: “He will probably be back here for the novice handicap chase and next year it will be races like the Great Yorkshire Chase.
“He has stamina and the question he will have to answer when he comes back here is whether he has the boot when he needs it. At least we know he will come home well and can handle this track.”
There was also a nip-and-tuck finish to the Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase, where Nigel Hawke’s Donnacha bravely resisted Jagwar’s persistent challenge to score with a head at 12-1.
Hawke said: “It has been a matter of patience, patience, patience with this horse and the owners deserve everything they get as this is the only horse they have.
“I have always been confident that we would give Jagwar a fight. He has been consistent but we have been waiting for this ground and when he got it today he got the job done.”
“Today was our Gold Cup, now we’ll have to take it home and plan for the future from there. We have to look at races like the Greatwood Gold Cup (at Newbury) and things like that, but we’ll enjoy today first.”
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