Gordon Elliott 'casting the net out further' in bid to attract new stable staff

The premature end to the jumps season saw Gordon Elliott finish as close as he has ever done to being crowned champion trainer before the industry ground to a halt, but not even a global pandemic can stop one of racing's most driven competitors looking to the future.

When the jump season came to an abrupt close on March 24, Elliott trailed Willie Mullins by no more than €110,000, which made for the perennial champion's smallest margin of victory over his persistent challenger. Elliott was ultimately denied the chance to reel him in, and he, like so many others, is now facing the most challenging period of his training career.

Nonetheless, despite the ongoing suspension of racing, he refuses to be downbeat and is bucking the trend of doom and gloom by seeking to bolster his army of staff ahead of racing's resumption.

'Advertising in Ireland, England and France'

The Cullentra House handler admits to having been "caught on the hop" in terms of staff in seasons gone by but, in an effort to be fully prepared for when racing resumes, he has begun advertising for full-time staff.

Elliott explained: "We thought we'd approach it from a different angle this year and advertise in Ireland, England and France. We've found it hard over the past couple of years come July and August to get staff so we're advertising good and early because we know we have a good number of horses to come back into training in the autumn."

He added: "We'd be hoping that some people in Britain and France would fancy coming to Ireland for a stint, so that's why we are casting the net out a bit further this year."

Gordon Elliott: ended the campaign with 156 winners domestically, 21 shy of last seasonCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Despite last season being cut short due to the coronavirus crisis, Elliott, 42, ended the campaign with 156 winners domestically, which was just 21 shy of the previous season's tally.

In amassing nearly €3.8 million in prize-money in Ireland alone, as well as sending out seven winners at the Cheltenham Festival, he finished second in the championship for an eighth time in succession. All this, despite being relatively light in the stable staff department, according to the trainer.

Elliott explained: "It is no secret that it is hard to get staff in racing and I always felt last year that we could do with two or three more staff around the place. We don't want to be caught on the hop again, which is why we are getting the word out early this year."

While there has been no jumps racing in Ireland since March 24 and the majority of his team have been sent off to pasture, Elliott has managed to retain all of his full-time staff.

The combination of a small dual-purpose team and horses being prepared for major summer targets such as the Galway Plate and Galway Hurdle, as well as good owners, have made that all possible for Elliott, who is determined to stay positive throughout the crisis.

Gordon Elliott maps out summer Flat campaigns for talented jumpers

He said: "I am lucky that I have some great owners and we know we are going to have a big number of horses to come back into training in a couple of months.

"The horses were out earlier this year so they will obviously be coming back in that bit earlier and, while we don't have a clear date for the resumption of racing, we are planning on the basis that there will be increased opportunities for the jumps horses in the autumn."

Elliott added: "We still have plenty of horses in for the likes of Galway and that and we were able to keep all of our full-time staff, which was important.

"You are hearing all sorts of different dates about when we'll be back but there doesn't seem to be anything concrete just yet. But we will be ready whenever racing comes back, that's for sure."

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