Gordon Elliott rewrote the history books when dominating a classy card at Navan on Saturday. He became the first trainer to saddle seven winners at one meeting in Ireland or Britain, bettering the previous record that he already shared with Willie Mullins and Paul Nicholls, by one.
Elliott’s six-timer had also come at Navan, on Troytown Day in 2016, and not surprisingly he said, “We love coming to Navan, we’ve been very lucky and I think that it’s one of the beast racecourses in the world, never mind Ireland. The best horse normally wins and there are no excuses.”
After his great rival Willie Mullins had taken the opening maiden hurdle with 5/4 favourite Whatdeawant, Elliott’s dream run began in the second division of the same race which went the way of the Jody McGarvey-ridden 10/1 chance The Goffer which beat Noel Meade’s Highland Charge by eight lengths in the colours of owner Allan Snow.
The Bective Stud-owned Ginto ran out a hugely impressive winner of the Grade 2 Navan Novice Hurdle, the well-supported 11/8 favourite scoring by all of 11 lengths under Jamie Codd from the Joseph O’Brien-trained Eric Bloodaxe.
A couple of County Cork riders kept the ball rolling for Elliott as Commander Of Fleet scored a 40/1 win in the €100,000 Bective Stud Handicap Hurdle under Shane Fitzgerald while Denis O’Regan made all the running to win the Grade 3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Klairon Davis Novice Chase on the exciting four-year-old Riviere D’etel, a second big winner on the day for Bective Stud.
Kevin Sexton gave Elliott his fifth victory of the meeting when partnering 7/2 chance Farouk D’alene, owned by Gigginstown House Stud, to take the beginners’ chase while Fitzgerald doubled-up on top-weight Conflated, the 9/4 favourite, which ran out a comfortable five-length winner of the Foxrock Handicap Chase, also in the Gigginstown House Stud colours.
The remarkable 37,382/1 seven-timer was completed when Jamie Codd landed his second winner of the day as the Alymer Stud-owned Itswhatunitesus made a winning debut in the bumper, the 10/11 favourite impressing with a six-length win over the Noel Meade-trained Killer Mode.
Elliott’s brilliant run continued the follow day when he sent out three winners across the two Sunday meetings. He won his eighth race in-a-row when Denis O’Regan partnered 8/11 favourite Iberique De Seuil in the opening three-year-old maiden hurdle at Cork and made it nine when the Davy Russell-ridden 5/6 favourite Top Bandit took the opening rated novice hurdle at Punchestown.
While his winning run in successive races was to end there, Elliott did take the Listed mares’ novice hurdle with the Bective Stud-owned Party Central, another ridden by Davy Russell.
Gavin Cromwell was also a Punchestown winner as the Conor Maxwell-ridden Shantou Lucky landed the opening division of the two-mile three-furlong handicap hurdle for his owners, the Lucky Seven Syndicate. The 4/1 favourite built on a good run at Fairyhouse previously to win by a neck from the Philip Rothwell-trained Paddy Wickla. Tony Martin took the second division of the same race with 7/2 favourite Gain De Cause which scored a two-length success from the Helen Markham-trained Bread And Butter under Mark Walsh.
Earlier in the week, Ger Lyons and Colin Keane enjoyed their almost obligatory Dundalk winner when Jarvis easily landed the opening five-furlong maiden on Wednesday’s early afternoon meeting. Sent off at odds of 1/8 favourite, he made all the running for a two and a half-length success over the Johnny Feane-trained 11/2 chance And Syra. Gavin Cromwell and Gary Carroll won the seven-furlong nursery handicap with 14/1 chance Pepsiwithacap which carries the colours of the Pepsiwithacap Syndicate.
She readily held the late run of the Ger O’Leary-trained Satin Snake to win by three-parts of a length. Owner Kieron Gammell’s green and white colours were carried to success in the concluding handicap over the extended ten and a half furlongs as 16/1 chance Raamez scored in good style under Sam Ewing.
The Gordon Elliott-trained four-year-old went close at Laytown on his previous start and, relishing the step back up in trip, had a length and a half to spare over the Keith Clarke-trained Harriet’s Force.
Tom Gibney won the two-mile beginners’ chase at Clonmel on Thursday with the Shawshank Syndicate-owned Regina Dracones. Gavin Brouder was in the saddle as the 16/1 shot beat fellow outsider Song Of Earth, trained by Mags Mullins, by a length and a half.
James McAuley was first off the mark at Dundalk on Friday where Meishar defied top weight to take the five-furlong handicap. The 118/8 favourite had to battle for his success but eventually held the Patrick McKenna-trained No Speed Limit by a neck under Sam Ewing. Trainer Luke Comer took the night’s finale as Dr Patrick gained a deserved success in the second division of the Kathleen Pierce Memorial Handicap. The four-year-old lost out narrowly on his previous visit to the track but it all went his way on this occasion as Chris Hayes got the 9/4 joint-favourite home by a head from the John McConnell-trained Arctic Blaze.
At Cork on Sunday, Keith Donoghue was on the mark on the Henry de Bromhead-trained Largy Debut in the opening division of the two-mile maiden hurdle. In the well-known colours of Chris Jones, the 6/1 chance easily turned over the Willie Mullins-trained 1/14 favourite Kilcruit, coming home all of 10 lengths clear of last season’s top bumper performer.
Upcoming Fixtures
Tramore – Tuesday, December 7 (First Race 12.40pm)
Dundalk – Wednesday, December 8 (First Race 1.45pm)
Dundalk – Friday, December 10 (First Race 4pm)
Fairyhouse – Saturday, December 11 (First Race 11.30am)
