Horse in Profile: The Yellow Clay

Gordon Elliott has endured a frustrating spring so far, the Cullentra handler managing just one win apiece at both the Cheltenham and Aintree festivals.

That was despite his horses generally running to excellent levels throughout both major meetings.

He'll be hoping to have a good signoff at Punchestown in a few weeks' time as the National Hunt campaign concludes and The Yellow Clay could be one that does well for him at the five-day frenzy in Co Kildare.

Prolonged bumper career

The Yellow Clay essentially spent an extra season in bumpers. He won at Leopardstown in March 2023 and followed up by adding a Listed prize at Limerick that same month.

He was not spotted again for 10 months and duly ran a blinder in a Grade 2 at the Dublin Racing Festival before finishing sixth in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham when Jasmin De Vaux won for Willie Mullins.

At Punchestown last spring it was another Mullins inmate that got the best of him, Redemption Day under Jody Townend, with the likes of William Munny, Romeo Coolio and Jasmin De Vaux all behind in that Grade 1 affair.

He'd had five runs in bumpers by that point, winning twice and showing up well in graded company.

Flying start to jumping career

This season, The Yellow Clay has been more than making his mark since going jumping hurdles.

He won a Down Royal maiden over 2m6½f under Sam Ewing in November and was immediately stepped up into Grade 3 company to win the Monksfield Novice Hurdle at Navan (2m4f, yielding) that same month.

He stayed at Navan for the Grade 2 Tote Navan Novice Hurdle in early December and made it 3-3 over hurdles with a neck to spare over Fleur In The Park from the Andy Slattery yard.

Top level breakthrough at Naas

Early in the New Year, the Yellow Clay was given his first chance in Grade 1 company over a jump when he went off the 11/4 second-favourite for the Lawlor's Of Naas Novice Hurdle with Ewing on board again.

Old foe Jasmin De Vaux was the market leader but at the 2m4f trip, The Yellow Clay was much the stronger on the day, scoring by eight lengths from Supersundae for the Mullins team with another Elliott runner, Wingmen, in third ahead of Jasmin De Vaux.

Of course, Jasmin De Vaux would go on to win the Albert Bartlett over 3m at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Turners defeat no backwards step

In the Cotswolds, Elliott opted for the Turners Novices' Chase over the intermediate 2m5f trip with The Yellow Clay.

The Bective Stud-owned charge ran a blinder but was eventually denied less than a length by The New Lion, Dan Skelton's runner the best British novice over timber over the season. That was a defeat the trainer took on the chin.

"The Yellow Clay ran a brilliant race and Jack [Kennedy] has given him a peach of a ride and I couldn't be happier with him. He is a good horse. I thought we got a beautiful run throughout the race and I don't think there were any excuses anywhere. There was no hard luck story," he opined.

Elliott suggested that 'he could easily go to either Aintree or Punchestown' next and, having sidestepped Liverpool, he has given The Yellow Clay entries in both the Channor Real Estate Group Novice Hurdle (3m) and the Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle (2m4½f) at Punchestown.