Navan Sunday Preview: Elliott means business

While the final day of the Open meeting at Cheltenham will probably still hog the limelight on Sunday, there’s also a cracking card at Navan, featuring two Grade 2s—the Lismullen Hurdle (1.45pm) and Fortria Chase (2.20pm)—and a Grade 3.

The Willie Mullins-trained pair of Zaidpour and Arctic Fire have won the last two renewals of the Lismullen Hurdle between them, but the former is retired and the latter is injured, so consequently both are missing from this year’s race. The 2013 Lismullen winner Dedigout, however, does take his chance again and he’s one of the form principals on a Timeform rating of 157, just 1 lb below the top-rated Shaneshill who will be bidding to make it a Mullins hat-trick. Dedigout has a new trainer in Gordon Elliott, who is also responsible for four of the other six runners. They include De Plotting Shed, who had last season’s Triumph Hurdle winner Ivanovich Gorbatov well held in third when completing a minor event hat-trick at Naas last Sunday, and Taglietelle, who won a big-field handicap hurdle at Aintree’s Grand National meeting in 2015 but hasn’t won since, including when tried over fences. Perhaps the most fascinating runner is four-year-old Jer’s Girl who ended last season by winning Grade 1s at Fairyhouse and Punchestown after being bought by J. P. McManus.

Gilgamboa will surely achieve a unique feat if successful in the Fortria Chase; that’s to win a graded chase over two miles on his next start after finishing in the frame in the Grand National. Gilgamboa displayed previously unforeseen stamina to finish fourth behind Rule The World at Aintree whan last seen in April, though he’s certainly not short of speed, having won graded novice chases over two and a half miles in 2014/15, when he was also a relatively close second to Rawnaq in a Grade 2 over 17 furlongs. Gilgamboa actually has 9 lb to play with over his nearest Fortria rival on Timeform ratings and also comes from a yard—Enda Bolger—among the winners. Ballycasey has a master rating (160) just 3 lb behind Gilgamboa’s, but he must give him 6 lb on Sunday, which makes his task all the more difficult. He at least comes into the race at the top of his game, though, having won a Killarney handicap and the Grade 2 PWC Champions Chase at Gowran from his last three starts. He’s dropping back to the minimum trip for the first time since December 2014 but has certainly travelled like a horse who will cope with the change on his most recent outings. Gordon Elliott is well represented in this race too, with his three runners probably headed by The Game Changer, given Tell Us More still jumped poorly when winning a Grade 3 last time and Cause of Causes is, like the same owner’s Gilgamboa, dropping right back in trip after running in a Grand National last time (the Scottish version last April, in which he pulled up).

Guess who has the most runners in the Grade 3 novice hurdle (1.10pm)? Yes, Gordon Elliott, who saddles both Mick Jazz and Labaik. Mick Jazz made a winning debut for his new trainer in a Clonmel maiden hurdle last month and could have more to offer, but his overall profile suggests he’s a horse who’s had problems and perhaps more obviously open to improvement is Labaik, who also made a winning debut for Elliott in a Punchestown maiden hurdle last month. That said, Labaik did refuse to race on his final two starts on the Flat for John Hammond in France. There are two horses ahead of that pair on the ratings, namely former smart Flat performer Wakea, now with Karl Thornton, and Le Martalin from the Noel Meade stable. Wakea landed his second success over timber at Down Royal just eight days ago and should have more to offer, though just as exciting is Le Martalin who has won a Listowel bumper and a Galway maiden hurdle by wide margins in the last few months.