'It’s been a long couple of days' - relief for Gordon Elliott after Stayers' Hurdle joy
Egerton/pa Jack The After Paddy Racecourse Day At Wire Winning Kennedy Three Stayers' Hurdle On Mike With Of The Cheltenham Picture: Teahupoo 2024 Festival Cheltenham Power
When used to inhabiting the winner’s circle, the Cheltenham Festival can quickly become a frustrating place when the first is refusing to arrive. Gordon Elliott, whose horses on the first two days were running well without hitting the mark, had his patience tested further when the Cross Country Chase, a race which he has had so much success in, was abandoned, but all of that faded into the background when Teahupoo and Jack Kennedy led an Irish domination of the Grade One Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle.
Many feel he should have won the race in 2023 but all that is academic as the now seven-year-old is a stronger, more experienced horse and was kept off the track for three months to be in peak condition for this. Elliott, knowing him to be at his best when fresh, kept him off the track from the third of December, when he won the Hatton’s Grace at Fairyhouse, and it worked a treat.
In contrast to last season, everything went to plan in this race – right up until he got right in under the second-last hurdle, prior to which he was cruising. He forfeited plenty of ground as former dual winner Flooring Porter continued to dictate but was soon back in a challenging position.
His progress towards the final flight elicited a vociferous cheer from the crowd and when he jumped the obstacle in front, they were in raptures. Flooring Porter, a credit to Gavin Cromwell and connections, battled on gamely but Teahupoo proved far too good.
Home By The Lee, who was two places behind Teahupoo when they were third and fifth respectively in this race in 2023, stayed on strongly to take third place, just in front of Paul Gilligan’s Buddy One, who ran the race of his life to finish fourth.
For the winning owners, the Acheson family, it was the second Grade One of the week, following on from Slade Steel’s victory in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle here on Tuesday, and a fifth of the season. Add in Irish Point’s runner-up finish in the Champion Hurdle and it has been quite the week for the Robcour silks.
“It’s just great to get a winner – we’ve hit the crossbar all week,” said Elliott. “The horses are running well and there are no excuses and no hard-luck stories either, but to win the Stayers’ Hurdle is just unbelievable - for the whole team and for Jack and for Robcour. It’s been a long couple of days, but no horse didn’t win that should have won.
“It’s a great place and we’ve always been back-end heavy so far as our best chances were concerned. We’ve loads of chances still, but this one and Brighterdaysahead (subsequently finished runner-up in the Mares’ Novice Hurdle) were probably our best of the week. We've got one on the board now, so we are happy.” Of the winner, he added: “This was always the plan with Teahupoo. He runs well fresh and so we came straight here.
“I was a bit anxious at the top of the hill when he missed the second-last, and then he probably got there a bit soon as Jack had to give him a squeeze. But I had loads of confidence in Jack as he’s a world-class jockey and you don’t need to tell him what to do. He’s a nice lad, too.”
Flooring Porter, who led his rivals a merry dance in this race in 2021 and 2022, had his attention switched to chasing this season but Cromwell made the decision to run him back in this race rather than a tilt at one of the staying novice chases, and that decision was vindicated.
“I’m delighted with the run,” he said. “You hate standing in second place, but that is just the nature of the beast. I don’t think we could have done anything different or have ridden him any differently. It was a very game performance.
“He was headed, but he tried all the way to the line and was a good second. When you are making the running like that you can be setting it up for everything in behind you, so you are always conscious of that, but at the same time I was happy to see him go on.
“The winner is a worthy winner, and we won’t take that away from him as he is very good. That was a brilliant run, and you would have to consider going to Aintree. We will digest this first and see. He has been a warrior for us and, please God, he is not finished yet.”