'I'd be shocked if Jack didn't ride Teahupoo' - Gordon Elliott could run four in the Stayers' Hurdle

Gordon Elliott would be "shocked" if Jack Kennedy did not pick Teahupoo over Irish Point in the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle and the trainer expects to have four runners in the race, including last year's winner Sire Du Berlais who showed his first green shoots of the season in a piece of work at Fairyhouse on Saturday 

Teahupoo and Irish Point are 3-1 joint-favourites with the sponsors and, while Elliott is not ruling out the prospect of the latter showing up in the Unibet Champion Hurdle if the ground was very soft, the trainer said it is likely they will take each other on in the Thursday showpiece at Cheltenham. 

The bookmakers cannot split the pair, who are both owned by Brian Acheson's Robcour operation, but Elliott was in no doubt about who Kennedy would ride. 

The trainer said: "I'm very happy with Teahupoo and we've gone straight from Hatton's Grace because he goes so well fresh. He’s in very good form and I’ll be shocked if Jack doesn’t ride him. He’s a proven stayer and we’ve minded him for the race. We might go to France [for the French Champion Hurdle] with him afterwards too. He handled the ground last year and I don’t think it’ll be any quicker this year so I think he'll be fine on it."

Sire Du Berlais was a shock 33-1 winner of the race last year and Elliott said there are positive signs starting to appear again now that spring is in the air. He was beaten 25 lengths into seventh of eight behind Hiddenvalley Lake in the Boyne Hurdle at Navan on his reappearance this month, but a recent workout around Fairyhouse has shown that the cobwebs have been blown away. 

Elliott said: "He won it last year and then he won at Aintree and was just beaten at Punchestown. He actually worked very well at Fairyhouse on Saturday and I was delighted with him. He likes it when the sun comes out and he likes Cheltenham as well.

"We have to ride him out twice a day, and he swims twice a day as well. He’s just so laid-back and we've got to do that to keep the weight off him. He’s been the horse of a lifetime."

Sire Du Berlais (Mark Walsh) was a shock winner of the Stayers' Hurdle last seasonCredit: Edward Whitaker

Beacon Edge will be the fourth Elliott representative in the race.

American Mike only has one entry at the festival, in the Turners Novices' Chase, but Elliott said he is likely to supplement him for the Brown Advisory, where he would take on red-hot favourite Fact To File.

Elliott said: "I had thought three miles might be too far for him but then he went and won at Navan and we could supplement him for the Brown Advisory now. He's frustrating, but he's got a massive engine."

Gerri Colombe has become the forgotten horse of the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup after being put in his place by Galopin Des Champs in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas and Elliott knows last year's Brown Advisory runner-up faces a mammoth task in trying to turn that form around. 

However, he does feel he has a better chance of getting closer on decent ground rather than in testing conditions. 

Elliott said: "I think Galopin Des Champs has been awesome this season and I don't know how we're going to beat him, to be perfectly honest with you, but I do think we are better than we were in Leopardstown over Christmas. He didn't run his race that day. He wouldn't have been second in another 100 yards. 

"We always labelled him as a bit of a mud-lover, but I actually think the better the ground the better chance he has in the Gold Cup. He stays well so the trip will suit. He's been really good at home since Leopardstown, he's not flashy at home or anything, but he looks great and I've trained him for one day and one day only this season."

Elliott has a strong hand in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper with three runners priced 10-1 or under and he was particularly sweet on The Yellow Clay following his eyectaching effort at the Dublin Racing Festival. Jalon D'oudairies and Romeo Coolio will be his other representatives. 

Elliott said: "I think The Yellow Clay is coming in under the radar. He doesn’t do anything flashy at home, but he'll come on a lot from the last day. He might not have beaten the winner but he’d have been a good second if he’d had another race before the last day, and there’s improvement in him. It wouldn’t shock me if Jack rode him to be honest."

Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle (3.30 Cheltenham, March 14)

Paddy Power: 3-1 Irish Point, Teahupoo, 11-2 Crambo, 8 Noble Yeats, Sir Gerhard, 14 Flooring Porter, 16 Monkfish, Paisley Park, 20 bar

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