What next for Firefox? Gordon Elliott is busy making his plans for the Cheltenham Festival as he bids to add to his tally of 40 winners at the showpiece meeting. The likes of Brighterdaysahead and Teahupoo have lofty Grade 1 ambitions, but Elliott may face a dilemma when it comes to finding a Festival target for Firefox. The Bective Stud-owned inmate has come up shy at graded level and Elliott may seek to go down the handicap route instead. Not quite top drawer Firefox's career has been highlighted to this point by his tendency to run big races in top level assignments but, ultimately, come up shy of winning in graded company. That despite being the only horse to defeat Ballyburn over hurdles when they clashed in a Fairyhouse maiden over two-miles early last season. The Willie Mullins inmate went on to enjoy Grade 1 scores at the Dublin Racing Festival, Cheltenham and Punchestown as he went up in trip, while Firefox was third behind Slade Steel in the Supreme at Cheltenham and second to Mystical Power at both Aintree and Punchestown after sticking to the two-mile route. This season has followed a similar path since he went chasing. He won his beginners' at Down Royal in November, an early season meeting Elliott typically bosses, but has come up shy in small-field graded races at Fairyhouse, Naas and Leopardstown since over trips ranging from 2m-2m4f. He was more than a dozen lengths behind Majborough in the Irish Arkle at Leopardstown last time. Arkle credentials looking slim That run behind Majborough leaves Firefox in a pickle in regards to the Arkle itself at Cheltenham. He is a general 18/1 shot for that race on March 11th but will be locking horns with the Closutton rival again if he turns up. With ante-post favourite Sir Gino now an absentee and some reservations perhaps lingering on Majborough's jumping technique, will Elliott and owner Bective Stud be tempted with the two-mile Grade 1 novice event? Even his Naas Grade 2 second behind Ile Atlantique would leave him with some worries on that front. Handicap test may be optimal In any event, two-miles looks to be on the sharp side for Firefox now. His jumping both at Naas and Leopardstown over that sort of trip was a bit sketchy and the pace of an Arkle at Cheltenham could expose his limitations. The new-look Jack Richards Novices Handicap, replacing the Grade 1 over two-and-a-half-miles in 2025, could be the ideal assignment for Firefox. That trip on the New Course should aid his jumping, with lots more focus on running late in the contest. His best effort this season came in the Drinmore at Fairyhouse (2m4f, yielding) in December when scrapping out a belter of a finish behind stablemate Croke Park and Henry de Bromhead's Heart Wood as he lost out by fractions at the line, but that form has worked out well. The trip looks just about right for him and, were this race still a Grade 1 as in previous years, it would be the logical target for a horse like Firefox. If he turns up now, it will be his handicap debut and he's picked up an official rating of 151 off the back of his run in the Irish Arkle. The make-up of the new race will become clear closer to the event but Firefox looks the right sort to give it a go and while he might be conceding weight to good horses like Jagwar, his experience at graded level could be a real asset. Get a host of free bets with the BoyleSports sign up offer:
