Samcro to star in Gordon Elliott’s Punchestown team
Gordon Elliott leads title rival Willie Mullins by roughly €500,000 and is preparing major ammunition ahead of the pivotal Fairyhouse and Punchestown Festivals.
SAMCRO is expected to lead Gordon Elliott's team at Punchestown as the battle to win the Irish trainers title heats up.
The unbeaten six-year-old lived up to his lofty reputation with a clear-cut victory in the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
He will head up a Punchestown squad in what will be a pivotal meeting in terms of deciding whether the County Meath trainer can hold off the challenge of Willie Mullins to win his first Irish trainers title.
"He's in great form. He came out of the race very well," said Elliott.
"We were hoping he'd win, but it is Cheltenham and things don't always happen there. Thankfully everything went well, he looks a very good horse and we're very lucky to have him.
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"The plan is to go to Punchestown with him, all being well. He'll have a couple of entries, so it's not just finalised which race he's going to run in. We'll make up our minds a bit closer to the time."
Asked whether Samcro would remain over hurdles or embark on a career over fences next season, the trainer told At The Races: "It's still all up in the air. We're still toying with the idea of training him for the Champion Hurdle next year, but nothing is set in concrete yet.
"I'll have to talk to Michael and Eddie (O'Leary). We'll get Punchestown out of the way and make a plan then."
Elliott, who broke the record for most winners in an Irish jumps season at Downpatrick on Sunday, is building a formidable team for Punchestown as he bids to be crowned champion trainer in Ireland for the first time.
He currently leads Willie Mullins by around €500,000, but remains typically pessimistic about his chances.
"Like I said last year, I probably have no chance," said Elliott, who reached a record 194 winners for the Irish campaign on Sunday.
"Willie's ammunition for Punchestown is unbelievable, but we'll give it a good rattle. We'll do our best and that's all we can do."
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Supreme Novices' Hurdle third Mengli Khan and OLBG Mares' Hurdle third Apple's Jade are other Punchestown hopefuls for Elliott.
Elliott said: "Mengli Khan will probably go for the two-mile novice hurdle. Next year he'll definitely go chasing.
"Apple's Jade is grand. She came home (from Cheltenham) very quiet and she was bit under the weather for a few days, but she's back cantering away.
"She got beat fair and square by a very good horse on the day, but she just didn't run her race and wasn't herself.
"We'll train her for Punchestown now."
Elliott's title bid could be boosted even before the Punchestown Festival gets under way, with a big prize-money pot up for grabs over the Easter weekend at Fairyhouse.
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He intends to run "10 or 12" horses in the €500,000 BoyleSports Irish Grand National on Monday, while JLT Novices' Chase winner Shattered Love could clash with the Mullins-trained Footpad in Sunday's Ryanair Gold Cup.
";Shattered Love is in great form. She might go to Fairyhouse for the Ryanair Gold Cup," Elliott added.
"She's a massive mare - she looks like a gelding - and she keeps improving.
"She doesn't do anything fancy at home but when she gets the track, she's just relentless."