Trainers to watch at Cork this weekend: 'He typically likes to target tracks closest to his southern base' The big weekend jumps meetings will keep coming as the countdown to Christmas continues and this weekend is all about top two-milers on both sides of the Irish Sea. The Tingle Creek takes place at Sandown on Saturday, while a day later Cork hosts the Hill Way Chase. Gordon Elliott The Cullentra supremo has hit a hot streak. On Sunday past Elliott won all four graded races on the card at Fairyhouse, including the Hatton's Grace Hurdle as Teahupoo just held off Ballyburn. Over the preceding fortnight, Elliott has a remarkable one-in-four strike-rate with 21 winners on the board. He was on the scoresheet at Ayr on Monday, while Staffordshire Knot kept the spree going at Clonmel on Tuesday and another big weekend could be looming for his in-form team. Willie Mullins With the month of December upon us, it's not a shock to find that the champion trainer of Britain and Ireland is going through the gears. Willie Mullins has won the Hilly Way Chase at Cork an incredible 16 times, including in 11 of the last 12 years as stars like Douvan, Un De Sceaux, Chacun Pour Soi, Energumene and El Fabiolo have graced the Mallow layout. The Closutton chief is targeting Sandown's Grade 1 two-miler with Il Etait Temps on Saturday, leaving the path seemingly clear for Majborough to head south to Cork on Sunday. "I'm training him as a Champion Chase contender. He'll start off at Cork, and then we'll be looking at Leopardstown at Christmas and the Dublin Racing Festival after that," Mullins told the Racing Post recently. "He looks great and I've been very happy with him since he's come back in." It could be a Grade 1 weekend at the double for the powerhouse trainer. Eric McNamara Limerick-based trainer Eric McNamara cannot match the levels of the likes of Elliott and Mullins, numerically or in terms of quality, but the Rathkeale-based handler gets the best from a small team. He saddled French Dynamite to win the Munster National at his local track last month after picking up the 10-year-old out of the Mouse Morris yard. McNamara has done well in the second half of the year, saddling 16 winners since August. He typically likes to target the tracks closest to his southern base and Cork is behind only Limerick and Listowel in terms of winners for his yard. He may have some contenders in the handicaps at Cork this weekend. Philip Rothwell Wicklow native Philip Rothwell is having a steady start to the season over jumps, his tally of six November winners equalled his best monthly total of the year as the likes of Billy Lee Swagger and Harry's Dream gained wins at Fairyhouse and Thurles recently. He's only managed one winner at Cork in the calendar year to date, but could be hoping to increase that tally and he enjoyed a 16 percent strike-rate with his runners at the Mallow venue in 2023.rs at the Mallow venue in 2023.
