Gordon Elliott’s Christmas Present: “He’d have been bang there in the Stayers’ Hurdle”

Gordon Elliott’s Sire Du Berlais is still in contention to line up in this Saturday’s Grade One Porsche Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot. Gordon was quoted saying in a recent stable tour that “he’d have been bang there in the Stayers’ Hurdle”.

He will have his work cut out to beat the likes of Paisley Park and Thyme Hill who re-oppose after a great finish at Newbury last time. Bookmakers reacted by making Thyme Hill the 2-1 favourite to confirm that form while Sire Du Berlais is a 12-1 shot to successfully make the step up to Grade One level.

The JP McManus-owned runner is a dual winner at the Cheltenham Festival, winning the Pertemps Final twice. He made his eagerly anticipated return to action when winning the Lismullen Hurdle at Navan last month.

Mark Walsh didn’t give him a very hard race but he was still half a length too good for French Dynamite. Ronald Pump came down at the last flight and he is a good yardstick for the Stayers’ Hurdle.

What are his other options?

If Sire Du Berlais doesn’t line up in the Long Walk Hurdle, he will probably run in the Christmas Hurdle on the 28th of December. Currently 5-2 favourite for that contest, he is more likely to run in that three mile contest at Leopardstown. He will more than likely take on Fury Road and Ronald Pump.

Gordon Elliott was quoted saying in a recent stable tour visit: “The form guys say on his Pertemps run he’d have been bang there in the Stayers’ Hurdle”.  The form of that race has worked out extremely well. A classy horse, The Storyteller was runner-up and has since gone on to win four of his last five starts over both hurdles and fences, including a Grade 1 success.

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