Elliott backing his ‘warrior’ Teahupoo to put up bold Stayers’ defence

Gordon Elliott is confident his Cullentra “warrior” Teahupoo can regain his crown in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle.

The nine-year-old was an emphatic winner of the Cheltenham Festival’s day three feature in 2024 and found only fellow Robcour-owned star Bob Olinger too strong when bidding for back-to-back successes 12 months ago.

In the past two seasons Teahupoo has not run between the Hatton’s Grace at Fairyhouse in the autumn and his early March trip to Prestbury Park, but this season Elliott slotted in an extra outing, which saw him turn the tables on Bob Olinger in impressive fashion.

“Teahupoo is getting a bit older so I thought another run wasn’t a bad idea,” said the trainer.

“He doesn’t do anything fancy at home so you never really know where you are with him. He’s a warrior and he’s got form around Cheltenham, we’re really looking forward to it.

“I suppose when you go back through the years, Stayers’ Hurdle horses never really get the credit they deserve but I wouldn’t mind having a few more like him.”

Stablemate biggest danger

One of Teahupoo’s biggest threats appears to be his three years younger stablemate Honesty Policy who finished third in the Long Walk at Ascot on his first start outside novice company.

Elliott added: “He is a classy horse and improved all through last year. I was very impressed with what he did at Ascot.”

Henry de Bromhead’s Bob Olinger is a three-time Festival winner, with his Stayers’ Hurdle triumph of last year preceded by victories in what was the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle and the now defunct Turners Novices’ Chase.

Here is a horse who is undoubtedly going to be played late and used for speed.I hope it makes for good viewing, I hope we come out on top and I feel with that speed angle, if the ground is just good to soft, we have an asset that maybe the others have less of these days.

Dan Skelton on Kabral Du Mathan

He was seven lengths behind Teahupoo in Leopardstown’s Christmas Hurdle and he too has been kept fresh since ahead of his return to the Cotswolds.

“He’s class and he always has been. Obviously we lost him for about a year, a year and a half, which was probably our fault, but it’s great to have him back,” said De Bromhead.

“It was a lovely run (at Leopardstown). Those older lads, you don’t want to be too hard on them for their first run, so he ran lovely.”

Skelton rolls dice

Kabral Du Mathan has looked every inch a top-class horse in the making in winning his first two starts for Dan Skelton and while a Festival appearance looked unlikely for a while, the title-chasing trainer has ultimately decided to roll the dice over three miles for the first time.

“I’m not afraid to pitch this horse into battle, but what I didn’t want to do was something I would regret in a year or two or three down the line, by giving him that hard race he doesn’t need at that age,” he explained.

“I think he comes into this very interestingly and from a different angle. You’ve got all those horses in there that have stayed three miles and know how to get down and dirty from the back of two out, here is a horse who is undoubtedly going to be played late and used for speed.

“I hope it makes for good viewing, I hope we come out on top and I feel with that speed angle, if the ground is just good to soft, we have an asset that maybe the others have less of these days.”

Course Specialists: Ma Shantou and Impose Toi

Emma Lavelle’s Ma Shantou has improved hugely this season, winning each of his three starts at Cheltenham and earning himself a step up to the highest level by winning the Cleeve Hurdle in January.

Lavelle said: “He’s done everything we’ve asked of him at home and we’re now hoping he can do everything we’re asking of him on the track.

“I don’t think the ground will be any problem to him and he seems sharp at home. He is not a flamboyant workhorse, he just does what you ask him and the proof with him is always on the track – he puts his head down and off he goes.

“He has obviously done well at Cheltenham all season and judged on his last performance we don’t think we’ve seen his ceiling just yet.”

Other contenders include Impose Toi, who won the Long Distance Hurdle and the Long Walk before the turn of the year but was no match for Ma Shantou on Trials day.

“He won nicely in his first three races this season, including the Long Walk where I thought he was really good,” said Henderson.

“He does want good ground and at Cheltenham on Trials day neither Nico (de Boinville) or I really wanted to run – the ground was horrible. He’s notoriously lazy though and does nothing at home and I couldn’t see how we could get from the Long Walk to the middle of March without a run.

“He was beaten giving 6lb to Emma Lavelle’s horse on horrible ground. We should have better ground and he’ll be 6lb better off, so if we can’t reverse the form then we are in the wrong race.”