Can Gordon Elliott land another Cross Country?

The Cross County race at the Cheltenham Festival was once the doyen of Enda Bolger, the Irish handler that dominated the early jousts.

Bolger scored with the likes of Spot Thedifference, Heads Onthe Ground and Garde Champetre and has five wins on his CV.

Now Gordon Elliott has joined him on that tally, with victories from Cause of Causes (2017), Tiger Roll (2018, 2019) and Delta Work (2022, 2023).

The Cullentra handler will bid to go out on his own via a sixth winner in 2025.

Can Elliott land the Cross Country race again as it returns from a hiatus in 2024 when the track was waterlogged and the race had to be scratched?

Plenty irons in the fire

Elliott certainly doesn't lack options in his latest Cross Country quest. The obvious one, at least on the betting, is Galvin, who trails only behind Stumptown in the market.

Galvin has had a quiet season. Fourth in the Grand National at Aintree last spring, his only jumps outing since he finished second in the American National in October. He prepped with a spin around Punchestown in a Charity Flat race in February.

The two-time Cheltenham winner, including at the Festival, was second to stablemate Delta Work in this race in 2023.

Former Irish Gold Cup winner and fellow 11-year-old, Conflated is another possibility although he'd have a hefty weight burden.

The Gigginstown inmate has been down the field in Grade 1 races recently and was tailed off in a December run over the Cross Country course here.

Coko Beach is the other possible in the maroon and white of Michael O'Leary's operation. He was well beaten by Stumptown over course and distance in December.

The likes of The Goffer and Gevrey have lost their form of late and will need to really rebound if they are to give Elliott a win.

Minella Crooner has been pulled up on his two Festival outings, in the National Hunt Cup and the Ultima, and has toiled this season so far but perhaps he could be a horse that would take to the unique demands of this test.

He's trading at around 33/1 and could be an Elliott dark horse if the bank, barrels, cheese wedges and stuff hedges take his fancy.

Team Elliott lacking star quality

With this reverting to being a handicap, the landscape has altered quite dramatically.

Elliott's recent wins and domination of the race — he has trained the one-two in the previous two renewals — relied heavily on diverting former graded race performers towards this unique discipline.

Horses with that dash of overall quality in their armoury that put them at a distinct advantage.

Now, with the handicap in play, the race is sure to become far more competitive and it has been altered significantly.

It will make things tougher for Elliott, that much is clear, but he has proved himself to be a master of the craft when it comes to preparing horses for attacking ultra-competitive handicaps like the Troytown in Ireland.

It's more likely that Elliott will settle into that routine of targeting the race with both quality and quantity and he is more than capable of finding the winning formula. Discount him at your peril.

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