‘This chap is rapid’ – Gordon Elliott very bullish about the chances of Cheltenham runner

David Jennings of the Racing Post got the lowdown on Gordon Elliott’s squad for the Cheltenham Festival and it is a fantastic read so I’d urge you to head across for a look. It is an interview that could provide many Festival clues, but one quote in particular stood out!

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Could this finally be Elliott’s season?

When Elliott came onto the scene proper, lots of us racing fans felt he would have won a trainer’s title by now. The fact that he hasn’t is by no means a dig at his yard, but it sums up how incredibly successful Willie Mullins has been all these years.

However, this season could be different. Elliott leads Mullins by around 500,000euros and with seven Grade 1s already in the bag and the promise of more to come, he might actually do it this year!

With an overall record of 6 per cent at the Cheltenham Festival in the last five years, Elliott will be looking to put the record straight with a very strong squad in 2026, and one horse in particular stands out as potentially the apple of his eye.

Can El Cairos reign Supreme?

The opening race on Tuesday could set up Elliott’s week really well and he will be relying on El Cairos to get the job done! He has had issues in the jumping department but he has a huge engine and goes there with every chance.

Elliott stated: “This chap is rapid. We haven’t had too many quicker than him at Cullentra. Jack [Kennedy] blamed himself for what happened at the last at Thurles. He just felt he didn’t ask him to do one thing or the other. Before that, he’d jumped great and settled well in a slowly run race. I wanted to go for a race like that at Thurles, rather than a Grade 1 at the Dublin Racing Festival, just to get his confidence up. He’s working great, looks great and we’re looking forward to the Supreme. It’s going to be one hell of a hot race but it’ll take a fair one to beat him.”

13:20

Cheltenham

El Cairos

Analysis

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