“He’s in savage form” – Gordon Elliott fancies this horse above all others for Christmas 🏇

Christmas is a magical time for all, but especially us racing fans! The festive period provides us with some of the best action each year, with the King George at Kempton being the star at the top of the tree. There’s also incredible action from Ireland, with Grade 1s every which way you turn!

We’ll have horse racing tips throughout the festive period, including a NAP of the Day and accumulator tips. One trainer who will be hoping to enjoy a strong Christmas is Gordon Elliott and he’s been bullish about the chances of one particular horse. The horse holds two entries and you can find all the details below!

“He’s in savage form”

The horse Elliott believes could be his Christmas cracker is Farouk D’alene, who is entered in both the Faugheen Novice Chase and the Neville Hotels Novice Chase.

The former is Plan A for him, however, and Elliott was very bullish in his assessment of the six-year-old, saying: “I’m really looking forward to Farouk D’Alene. The softer the ground the better chance he’ll have, but he’s in savage form and I’m very happy with him.”

Winning five of his six rules starts to date, Farouk D’alene is a very exciting prospect for Gigginstown. He was a Grade 2 winner over hurdles, beating subsequent Albert Bartlett winner Vanillier at Limerick last December. He was put away thereafter, making a triumphant seasonal/chasing debut at Navan in December.

Despite a few mistakes, he did more than enough to beat a field that included Blue Sari, Ashdale Bob and Keskonrisk. That form line is no joke and it’s no surprise to see Elliott in such bullish mood over this star prospect. The sky could be the limit for this one and he’s unlikely to be a 7-1 chance on the day.

If you back any of our selections you can watch them live on the free Racing Post app or racingpost.com. Simply log in to one of your bookmaker accounts and click ‘Watch live’ on the racecards.