Gerri Colombe to skip King George in favour of Galopin Des Champs clash at Leopardstown

Gordon Elliott has said Gerri Colombe will run in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown next week rather than the King George VI Chase, meaning a blockbuster showdown with Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs is on the cards.

Having assumed favouritism for the King George at one stage last week, Gerri Colombe had drifted from as short as 5-2 all the way out to 10-1 on Thursday with connections worried about the weather forecast at Kempton.

Owner Brian Acheson floated the surprise option of Tramore on New Year’s Day on Thursday morning, but Elliott made the final decision on Thursday evening and said his top-class seven-year-old would head to Leopardstown for the Savills Chase on December 28.

Gerri Colombe will meet not only Galopin Des Champs there, but probably Fastorslow too as Martin Brassil said it was his intended target after defeating the Gold Cup winner for a second time in the John Durkan Chase at Punchestown last month.

Gerri Colombe has won nine of his ten starts under rules, including his first outing in open company last month when he edged past Envoi Allen to win a thrilling Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal, but Galopin Des Champs and Fastorslow are likely to provide him with a sterner test of his Gold Cup credentials.

Explaining the decision to bypass Kempton in favour of Leopardstown, Elliott told the Racing Post: "We've made our minds up and Gerri Colombe will go to Leopardstown next week for the Savills Chase. With the ground continuing to dry out at Kempton, we just felt the race at Leopardstown would be a better option for him.

Gordon Elliott (left) with Gerri Colombe after winning at Down Royal Credit: Patrick McCann

"He's been in great form since Down Royal and it was always our intention to run him at Christmas before freshening him up for the Gold Cup. I'm very happy with him and we're looking forward to the race next week."

Gerri Colombe will bid to give Elliott a third Savills Chase on the bounce after Conflated and Galvin won the last two runnings, while he also saddled Delta Work and Outlander to victory in 2019 and 2016.

He is a narrow second favourite to Galopin Des Champs in the ante-post betting for the Gold Cup, but that market looks set for a shake-up one way or another with the two set to clash on the third day of Leopardstown’s four-day Christmas festival.

Leopardstown is unlikely to water unless a forecast ten millimetres of rain does not arrive on Sunday ahead of its four-day Christmas Festival starting on Tuesday.

The track's racing and operations manager Jane Hedley said the going on Thursday was predominantly soft on the hurdles track and yielding on the chase course.

Savills Chase (Leopardstown, December 28)

bet365: 6-4 Galopin Des Champs, 5-2 Fastorslow, Gerri Colombe, 10 Envoi Allen, 12 Conflated, 16 A Plus Tard, I Am Maximus, 20 bar

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