Gordon Elliott Cheltenham Festival Stable Tour 2021 – Entries, Tips and Quotes

Gordon Elliott has another strong team heading to the 2021 Cheltenham Festival and although Envoi Allen will be considered the banker of the week by a lot of punters, his recent stable tour quotes throw up some interesting alternatives.

The Irish trainer already has 31 Cheltenham Festival wins to his name and he is almost certain to add to that in mid-March, but what are his best hopes for the week and are there any in the handicaps that should be backed?

Zanahiyr is another horse who is one of the big fancies of the week and Sir Gerhard will go head to head with Kilcruit in the Champion Bumper on day 2.

One of the most interesting lines from the Gordon Elliott stable tour came regarding Abacadabras – the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle second 12 months ago has not hit them hights this season, but a good prep run last time out has put him right back in the picture for the Champion Hurdle on Tuesday 16th March.

 

Abacadabras

Entry: Champion Hurdle

Quote: “I wouldn’t be giving up on him for the Champion Hurdle. He didn’t run too badly in the Irish Champion Hurdle for a horse who scoped dirty at Christmas. I couldn’t be happier with him and this has been the plan all year. We know he wants a strong pace to aim at on nice ground, and he should get that at Cheltenham. I have plenty of faith in this horse.”

 

Ballyadam

Entry: Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

Quote: “He scoped dirty after Christmas but I thought he ran a blinder at the Dublin Racing Festival when he didn’t really get the run of the race – he missed the last and he was good for being a couple of lengths closer. If the ground dries up he has a big chance – he’s a classy horse. I have a lot of respect for Appreciate It but we’ll definitely be a lot closer to him at Cheltenham.”

 

Black Tears

Entry: Mares’ Hurdle & Coral Cup

“She runs on Wednesday in the Quevega Hurdle and then it will be on to Cheltenham, where she has run well twice before. She’s got a Coral Cup entry but at this stage the Mares’ Hurdle would look more likely.”

 

Chemical Energy

Entry: Champion Bumper

Quote: “I think you will see a better horse on better ground. The ground was a bit too soft for him at Leopardstown and he just got stuck in it. He’s a lot better than that. ”

 

Chosen Mate

Entry: Grand Annual

Quote: “The plan is to go back and try and win the Grand Annual again. Hopefully spring ground will bring the best out of him.”

 

Conflated

Entry: Paddy Power Plate

Quote: “He has some decent form with some of the good novices and he could be another for the Paddy Power Plate.”

 

Eclair De Beaufeu

Entry: County Hurdle

Quote: “The County Hurdle is the plan for him. He has experience at the track and that is always a help.”

 

Envoi Allen

Entry: Marsh Novices’ Chase

Quite: “There’s not a whole lot I can say about this horse. People keep knocking him and the day will come when he gets beaten, but to be honest I wouldn’t swap him for anything else in training and I count myself very lucky to have him. We bought him thinking he’d be a Gold Cup horse and, while there is a lot of water to go under the bridge yet, that’s what we’re hoping he will be. Envoi is Envoi. He only ever does what he has to. He would work the same with a 150-rated horse as he would one rated in the 0-95 bracket. He doesn’t do anything exciting and he carries that over to his races as well.”

 

Fakiera

Entry: Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle

Quote: “He ran very well at Leopardstown. He just got stuck in a pocket and flew home. I think the Albert Bartlett will suit him.”

 

Farclas

Entry: Paddy Power Plate

Quote: “The Paddy Power Plate could be the race for him. He ran very well in the Paddy Power and the Leopardstown Chase. He was probably unlucky not to win the latter race as he made a couple of mistakes and the one at the second-last knocked the stuffing out of him. He is a former Triumph Hurdle winner and handles the track so you’d be hopeful.”

 

Felix Desjy

Entry: County Hurdle

Quote: “He’s been a small bit disappointing over fences and we have given him an entry in the County Hurdle. I wouldn’t be shocked if we decided to run there rather than the Arkle.”

 

Galvin

Entry: National Hunt Chase

Quote: “The National Hunt Chase has been the plan all year. He has loads of experience and has been around Cheltenham. We’d like to think he can run very well.”

 

Grand Roi

Entry: Coral Cup

Quote: “He’s had a good preparation for the Coral Cup. He has some decent form to his name and the step up in trip should really suit him.”

 

Mighty Stowaway

Entry: St Jame’s Place Hunters’ Chase

Quote: “He’s in good form and goes there fresh. The only thing I would say is, if the amateurs aren’t able to ride in these races it’s going to be a massive disadvantage to me. You have half a stone up your sleeve with Jamie Codd, Patrick Mullins, Derek O’Connor and Barry O’Neill and those boys riding for you. It will be more of a level playing field if professionals can ride and any advantage I would have had with Jamie in my corner will be taken away.”

 

Milan Native

Entry: Ultima Handicap Chase

Quote: “He could be one for the Ultima. He won the Kim Muir last season and he’s had a wind operation since his last run.”

 

Mount Ida

Kim Muir Handicap Chase

Quote: “She will go in there under the radar but I could see her running a big race at a nice price. She could be a lively outsider for the race.”

 

Quilixois

Entry: Triumph Hurdle

Quote: “He probably doesn’t do things as fancy as Zanahiyr but he stays well and Cheltenham could suit him. He was to go to Chepstow because I didn’t want to run him against Zanahiyr but obviously we couldn’t do that at the time. That’s the only reason why he didn’t run between Down Royal and Leopardstown. You’d have to love the way he did it at Leopardstown and I don’t think there’s much between him and Zanahiyr. They look to be two very nice horses to have for the race.”

 

Samcro

Entry: Ryanair Chase

Quote: “The ground is going to be a major factor for Samcro. He’s not an easy horse to train and we’re hoping to get a clear run with him between now and Cheltenham. He hasn’t quite peaked yet this season but hopefully better ground and returning to Cheltenham will bring out the best in him.”

 

Sire Du Berlais

Entry: Stayers’ Hurdle

Quote: “I think he has a great each-way chance in the Stayers’ Hurdle. He’s won the Pertemps the past two years and we know he handles the track very well, which is a massive help. He deserves his shot at the race.”

 

Sir Gerhard

Entry: Champion Bumper

Quote: “I’ll probably run two or three in the Champion Bumper and I wouldn’t be swapping Sir Gerhard for anything. Kilcruit looked good at Leopardstown and he’s obviously a classy horse but I just thought it was a falsely run race – they went flat out early and Patrick [Mullins] had the balls to sit and wait. I’d say they went way too quick up front. They’ll know they have it done if they beat my horse. He doesn’t do anything fancy but he’s a good horse.”

 

The Bosses Oscar

Entry: Pertemps Final

Quote: “We might claim off him in the Pertemps – I thought the handicapper was harsh enough. This race has been the plan since last year and he looks an obvious one.”

 

The Storyteller

Entry: Stayers Hurdle

Quote: “He’s won nearly half a million euros in prize-money, which is a fair achievement. He’s been a model of consistency all season and the plan is to run in the Stayers’ Hurdle and then on to the Grand National.”

 

Tiger Roll

Entry: Cross Country Chase

Quote: “Obviously we’d have liked him to run a bit better in the Boyne Hurdle on Sunday but he travelled into the race with plenty of his old spark and just got tired on ground he hated. It’s all systems go for the Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham and there should be plenty of improvement in him.”

 

Torygraph

Entry: Albert Bartlett

Quote: “He has a lot of the right attributes for the race. He races behind the bridle and nothing fazes him. He’s a galloper and he’s there for you at the end of a race, which is what you need in the Albert Bartlett.”

 

Wide Receiver

Entry: Martin Pipe Handicap

Quote: “He could have a good chance in the Martin Pipe. He’s probably not at the level required to run well in those Graded novices, but if he’s on a going day he could have a chance in a race like the Martin Pipe.”

 

Zanahiyr

Entry: JCP Triumph Hurdle

Quote: “We’re lucky to have two very good horses in this division. Zanahiyr did it in Fairyhouse off a very fast gallop and he did at Leopardstown when they crawled. That shows he’s a very good horse – I’d say he’s a very smart horse. He’s definitely more than just a juvenile hurdler. I’d be looking forward to him for the future as well as this season, which isn’t always the way with these juveniles. ”

 

Free Bets for Cheltenham

All of the major online bookmakers will be giving new customers free bets for Cheltenham, you just have to decide which one is right for you. With the offers being so generous, we would advise opening accounts with a few different bookmakers through the course of Cheltenham Festival and you can decide which you like and which you don’t.

The bookies below all offer free bets for Cheltenham week:

• bet365
• Paddy Power
• SBK
• Betfred
• William Hill
• Coral
• Bet Victor
• Ladbrokes

 

bet365 Cheltenham sign-up offer

When you open a new account at bet365, you will get up to £100 in bet credits activated on your account. This means your first deposit will be doubled with bonuses to spend betting on the Cheltenham Festival.

T&CS: Min deposit £5. Bet Credits available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.

 

Paddy Power Cheltenham Free Bet

It is likely that there will be Paddy Power Cheltenham free bets for existing customers as well as this sign-up offer. Bet £20 with a new account and if your bet loses, you get a £20 refund in CASH added to your account.

T&Cs: New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any sportsbook market and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using Cards or Apple Pay will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. Paddy’s Rewards Club: Get a £10 free bet when you place 5x bets of £10+. T&Cs apply.

 

SBK Cheltenham Free Bet

Download the SBK app for the Cheltenham Festival and bet £20, whatever you lose from that £20 will be refunded back to you in cash. e.g. place two £10 bets and one loses, you will get a £10 cash refund added to your account.

T&C: New customers only. Deposit £20 using Debit Card, bank transfer or Trustly. Up to your first £20 of losses will be refunded as CASH within 24 hours of qualifying bet having been settled. T&Cs apply.

 

Betfred Cheltenham Free Bet

Place a £10 bet with a new Betfred account on the Cheltenham Festival and win or lose, you will get a £30 free bet added to your account, as well as 60 free spins on their casino games.

T&Cs: New UK & NI customers only. promo code ‘SPORTS60’. Deposit & place first sports bet of £10+ in one bet transaction, at odds of Evens (2.0) +. settled within 60 days. First bet must be on Sports. £30 in Free Bets credited within 48 hours of bet settlement, 7-day expiry. Payment restrictions apply. SMS validation may be required. Max 60 Free Spins on Justice League Comics. 7-day expiry. Full T&Cs apply.

 

William Hill Cheltenham Free Bet

Open a new William Hill account and bet £10 on a Cheltenham Festival race. Win or lose you will get two free £15 bets credited to your account.

T&Cs: New customers using Promo Code P30 only, min £10/€10 stake, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 2 x £15/€15 (30 days expiry), free bet/payment method/player/country restrictions apply. By entering the Promo code in the box above you agree to the full terms and conditions of this promotion as displayed below. See full terms below.

 

Coral Cheltenham Free Bet

Open a new Coral account and bet £5 on the Cheltenham Festival. You will get £20 in free bets (credited as four £5 bets) added to your account straight away. This means you’ll have 5x free £5 bets for the price of one.

T&Cs: 18+ Eligible UK+IRE players. Paypal & some deposit & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cash-out, restrictions & T&Cs apply.

 

Bet Victor Cheltenham Free Bet

When you open a new Bet Victor account you will get £40 in bonuses added to your new account. Place just £10 on any race and this will give you the £40 of bonuses which includes three free £10 bets for Cheltenham.

T&Cs: New Customers only. Opt in and place a £10 qualifying bet at odds of 2.00 or greater on Horse Racing within 7 days of registering; excludes cashed out bets. Receive 3x £10 Horse Racing Free Bets, plus a £10 Gameshow Bonus. Wager Gameshow Bonus 40x to withdraw max winnings of £250. Bonuses expire in 7 days. PayPal and Card payments only. Geographical Restrictions. T&Cs Apply, See Below. 18+ | begambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly.

 

Ladbrokes Cheltenham Free Bet

Open a new Ladbrokes account and bet £5 on any Cheltenham Festival bet. You will instantly get four free £5 bets credited to your new account to spend.

T&Cs: 18+ New UK+IRE customers. Paypal and certain deposit types and bet types excluded. Min £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4 x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days on sports, stake not returned, restrictions apply. T&Cs apply.

Relevant news