Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)
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By David Jennings, Deputy Editor for Ireland
Gordon Elliott believes the diving and diving taking place in Britain before March compromises the home team’s chances of success at the Cheltenham Festival.
Irish trainers have been responsible for 41 of the 56 winners at the last two festivals and last week was a forgettable day for British racing, with a walkover on a large card at Ascot and just 30 runners at the entire meeting, which was live on ITV. .
Elliott, who enjoyed more than 400 winners in Great Britain during his career, said the greater number of meetings made it easier for Britain’s great runners to avoid each other.
“Many of the issues [with British racing] they brought upon themselves. We have the best races here because we have to fight every day. We have the best owners, the best horses, the best trainers, so there is no hiding place in Ireland.
“If you go to a maiden hurdle in Clonmel on a Thursday, you might be up against a Grade 1 horse. In England, I think they dilute it too much.
“It was good to see Nicky [Henderson] two horses [Constitution Hill and Epatante] taking it the next day, but that doesn’t happen very often in England because they can and do sink all the time.
“We know when we go to the big races that we have the best horses because you have to pick each other up. If you have two different owners in the yard, we need to take them and find out which one is the best. the horse is.”
Elliott’s ultimate aim is to be crowned champion trainer in Ireland but admitted it was not easy with Willie Mullins around.
He said: “If you asked me for a Christmas wish, I would say to coach champions one day. The boys would always scorn the rivalry, but we’re very good friends, me and Willie. In Ireland, we are very good. all good friends – most of us, anyway – and it’s good fun.
Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)
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“I think I’ve been second to Willie for the last eight or nine seasons. If you’d asked me ten or 11 years ago if we were in the position we’re in, I’d probably have laughed at you. It’s something I’d dream of, to be a champion trainer. I want to do it and it will happen one day, hopefully, but I’m very unhappy to be in the same era as Willie Mullins. We’ll keep him honest anyway.”
Elliott has tweaked his training methods this season. It’s no coincidence that he only had 11 winners in October, compared to double the same month last year. He sent out 37 winners in November, nine more than in the same month in 2021.
He said: “We’ve done it a bit differently this season. I said we could start them off a little slower, not be so hard on them early on and let them all come in the early rounds to see if they can. it lasts a little longer in season. In the last two seasons, in the last three or four weeks of the campaign we just ran red.
“I’m trying to improve the place all the time. Like a kid going to a toy store, every time I go to a yard and see something new or see something that someone else has, I want it. put everything I had into the yard and I just want to make it better. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
Elliott is not the only one chasing a title at Culllentra and the trainer is full of praise for Jack Kennedy, who leads the jockeys’ championship with 64 winners, 16 more than his nearest pursuer Danny Mullins.
Elliott said: “Jack does Davy [Russell] he’s hungry, and Davy makes Jack better, but Jack sort of steps into the first jockey role. There isn’t an official first jockey but Davy won’t be around forever and with these young horses coming in I need a bit of consistency and Jack to get to know the young horses beforehand – if they go to chase or stick with hurdles or whatever . It’s a great position to be in. They are two world-class jockeys.
“When Jack sees a jump, it’s just different, a little bit special. He has a great pair of hands on him and the horses jump great for him. It’s not very physically hard on a horse, so we always have a horse coming home. It is very, very good – world class. It’s incredible that he’s ridden 33 Grade 1 winners and he’s only 23 years old.”
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PUBLISHED FOR FIRST TIME 17:00, NOVEMBER 28, 2022